The Albuquerque Isotopes faced off against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys last week in a homestand following a tough road trip with stops in Salt Lake City and Tacoma. However, Albuquerque looked rejuvenated this time after those rough outings, taking the series from the Space Cowboys 4-2.
The Isotopes started off the series with a strong comeback in Game One when the team was down early with a 3-run deficit, before a go-ahead homer from outfielder Charlie Condon knocked in 2 runs in the fourth.
“Just because you have a bad inning to start it doesn't mean that that's going to set the tone for the night,” Condon said. “So proud of the guys to go in there and rally some hits to get us back in it, and then great showing out with the bullpen today, no runs after the 1st is a really good game. We've got an opportunity to kind of make back some ground that we lost while we were on the road. So tonight was the perfect way to start that. Hopefully we can keep it rolling.”
Condon also hit for an RBI triple in the fifth inning, bringing his total statline to 2 hits, 2 runs, and an RBI of 3. Albuquerque’s attack was on fire with eight unanswered runs on 10 hits to take a 1-0 series lead.
In Game Two, second baseman Ryan Ritter made history for Albuquerque as he broke the franchise record for most consecutive games with a hit at 29. Ritter led the team in hits with 3, along with 2 runs.
After a back-and-forth start to the game, Sugar Land retook the lead with a foul ball overturned for a 2-run homer, leading to Isotopes manager Pedro Lopez’s ejection at the top of the third inning.
Things were starting to unravel in the fourth for Albuquerque as they allowed 5 runs, putting them in a 7-run hole. There was a sliver of hope in the bottom of the sixth inning to get back in the game with bases loaded, all the runners would end up stranded.
The Isotopes’ pitching staff got cooked 21-8, tying the series going into Game 3.
Albuquerque would strike first at the end of the first inning in an effort to bounce back the next day, maintaining a lead until the seventh in a low-scoring affair. The Space Cowboys responded to take a brief lead, but the Isotopes got the last laugh in a wild finish as Isotopes left fielder Drew Avans hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning for a nail-biting 3-2 victory.
“It was good. Just trying to keep it simple, not trying to do anything out of the extraordinary,” Avans said after the game. “Just cut the barrel on the ball and run as fast as I can at first base.”
Avans finished his performance with 2 hits and a game-tying run in the eighth inning, and Ryan Ritter extended his record of consecutive hits to 30 games with another sound multiple-hit performance.
“Rit can hit. There's no doubt about it,” Avans said. ”Put him at the top of the lineup, and he gets the ball rolling.”
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
After their walk-off victory in Game Three, the Isotopes had another win during their Juneteenth celebration in Game Four. Albuquerque jumped out early to a 2-0 lead and never trailed, even after Sugar Land managed to tie the game up, pulling away with a comfortable 9-3 victory.
Albuquerque further built their win streak as they followed up by winning a thriller 6-5 on World Soccer Night in Game Five. The game was tied at 5 entering the bottom of the eighth, before Isotopes catcher Kyle McCann hit a go-ahead home run, clinching the series victory with 4 out of 5 games. Sugar Land would win the final game of the series in a close one on Father’s Day 7-6, but the series overall was a successful one for Albuquerque.
The Albuquerque Isotopes now set their sights on another long series at home as they host the Salt Lake Bees with Game Two tonight after an 11-3 win on Tuesday.
Alex Joe is a freelance videographer for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @DailyLobo
