Brandon Walter's Gem Leads Sugar Land to Series-Opening Win

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PCL Sugar Land Space Cowboys

Brandon Walter's Gem Leads Sugar Land to Series-Opening Win

April 22, 2025 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sugar Land Space Cowboys News Release


TACOMA, WA - Behind five-scoreless innings from RHP Brandon Walter (W, 1-0) and a four-run sixth, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (10-12) took the series opener over the Tacoma Rainiers (9-13) 4-1 on Tuesday afternoon at Cheney Stadium. [?Folder icon] Highlights of today's game can be found here.

Walter silenced the Rainiers in the opening innings, setting down six of the first seven batters he faced, including hurling back-to-back strikeouts to end the second.

Walter forced Cole Young to send a dribbler back to the mound with two outs in the third, working around a runner in scoring position and putting up his third straight zero.

After a scoreless fourth and fifth for both teams, Jésus Bastidas picked up Sugar Land's first hit of the day with a lead-off double down the third-base line to begin the sixth, his fourth of the season. Bastidas came in to score two batters later on a wild pitch from RHP Shintaro Fujinami, as Sugar Land took a 1-0 lead.

Zack Short, Brice Matthews and Shay Whitcomb walked, loading the bases with one out. Short scored on another wild pitch, giving the Space Cowboys an insurance run, and Matthews touched home due to Fujinami's third wild pitch of the afternoon. Collin Price drove in Whitcomb with a sacrifice fly, capping off a four-run sixth for the Space Cowboys.

RHP Aaron Brown took over for Walter in the bottom half and allowed one run but left the bases loaded by inducing a groundout. For the second straight inning, the Rainiers loaded the bases, but again, Brown tight roped out of the jam and posted a zero in the seventh.

RHP Nick Hernandez (H, 1) received the ball in the eighth inning and a pair of walks and a single loaded the bases for the third-straight inning. Once more, the Space Cowboys wiggled out of it, as a strikeout, flyout and groundout ended the inning, preserving the 4-1 advantage heading into the ninth.

RHP Luis Contreras (S, 1) picked up his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth, as Sugar Land locked down the series-opener 4-1.

NOTABLE:

- Brandon Walter tossed a season-high seven strikeouts on Tuesday. It was his first time spinning seven strikeouts since June 11, 2023 with the Worcester Red Sox. Walter threw 43 strikes on 59 pitches, a 73% strike rate, his highest percentage of 2025.

- With a scoreless eighth, Nick Hernandez has not allowed a run in his last five appearances and 7.0 innings. He has not allowed an earned run since March 28, 2025 against the Oklahoma City Comets.

- Zack Short walked twice on Tuesday, his 17th and 18th of the season. Short came into Tuesday tied for second in the Pacific Coast League in walks and sixth in Triple-A.

- Brice Matthews took two walks as he reached base for the 14th time in his last 15 games. Matthews has walked 14 times in his last 15 contests to go along with a .426 on-base percentage.

Game two of Sugar Land's six-game series with the Tacoma Rainiers continues on Wednesday at 8:05 p.m. CT. RHP AJ Blubaugh gets the start against LHP Jhonathan Díaz. The game can be seen live on the Bally Sports Live App or MLB.TV and can be heard anywhere at SLSpaceCowboys.com. Season Memberships for the 2025 Space Cowboy season, including Full and Partial Season membership plans, can be purchased online.

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