Z's can't complete sweep of Storm Chasers

John Lamb held the New Orleans Zephyrs to two hits in six innings Sunday while the Omaha Storm Chasers blitzed Z's pitchers for nine runs in a 9-2 game that ended the four-game series with New Orleans' first loss of the second half.

The Zephyrs had won four in a row dating back to the final game of the first half on July 13 and outscored Omaha 28-12 in the first three contests at Werner Park in Papillion, Neb.

Matt Juengel hit his first Triple-A home run with a two-run shot in the ninth inning, but that was long after Omaha had put together a big lead against Z's starter Adam Conley (3-5), who held the Storm Chasers to one run through the first three innings with the only blemish a two-out double by Brian Bocock in the second inning that drove in Justin Maxwell.

Jake Marisnick got NOLA's only hit of the first four innings with a single to lead off the game. He stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, but Josh Rodriguez struck out and Mark Canha grounded out.

Lamb (5-8) walked three but also struck out six, while Omaha's offense came to life in the fourth inning with four runs and piled on two more in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 9-0 lead.

The first six runs came against Conley, although two were unearned because of the Z's second of three errors in the game when Rodriguez failed to field a ball hit by Bocock in the fourth. Pedro Ciriaco made New Orleans pay for the miscue with a three-run home run in the next at-bat to put the Storm Chasers ahead 4-0.

Omaha came to bat in the fifth up 5-0 after Christian Colon hit a run-scoring double to complete the fourth-inning rally. Conley struck out the first two batters, his only two punchouts of the game, but gave up a double to Maxwell before Donnie Joseph entered the game.

Joseph walked Bocock and gave up consecutive singles to Ciriaco and Juan Graterol, each of which drove in a run to give the Storm Chasers a 7-0 lead.

Colon then led off the sixth with a home run against former teammate Joseph, who the Kansas City Royals traded to the Miami Marlins on June 30, and Ciriaco picked up his third hit and fifth run batted in of the game with a two-out single that followed a single and two walks.

Maxwell completed a 4-for-4 day that included three runs scored with an eighth-inning single against Edgar Olmos, who took over for Joseph to pitch the final two innings. Olmos walked Paulo Orlando before the base hit to Maxwell, but otherwise did not allow a baserunner.

The Zephyrs will enter the second half of their eight-game road trip with the opener of a four-game set against the Iowa Cubs at 7:05 p.m. Monday at Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa.