Games #80 & #81: Two More Wins

The Z-train is rolling. With wins over the Omaha Royals on the 4th of July and on National "Recovery" Day (July 5), the Zs have crept over the .500 mark for the first time since April.

The appetizer game to the deservedly renowned Zephyr Field fireworks was a close, tense one. The Zs built a 3-0 lead by the 4th on RBI doubles by Gookie Dawkins and LoMo as well as Danny Richar's RBI groundout. VandenHurk was excellent through five, but an Alex Gordon double and a Kila Ka'aihue bomb tied the game at three in the sixth. However, the Zephyrs have flashed late spark recently. After Omaha pulled ahead with two runs off of Jorge Sosa in the seventh, the Zephs loaded the bases for Hector Luna, the AAA All-Star who has flourished in every offensive situation this year except for with runners in scoring position. But God Bless America, Luna ripped a bases-clearing double and Armando Benitez took your breath away in the good way and the Zs held on for a 6-5 win.

Yesterday's 5-0 win came on the strength of another good Brian Lawrence performance on the hill. Lawrence was in scatter mode over 6 1/3, allowing eight baserunners with nobody passing third. After wiggling free from a bases-loaded jam in the 6th, the Zs came up with five in the bottom half courtesy of a solo shot by catcher Brad Davis and a three-run HR by Logan Morrison, LoMo's first at Zephyr Field.

Now at a cool 41-40, the Zs have caught Albuquerque in the standings and are a mere 2.5 games back of division-leading Oklahoma City.