Black triples, steals home as Z's nip Bees

Danny Black drove in two runs with an eighth-inning triple and stole home on the next play to account for three of the New Orleans Zephyrs' four runs in a frame that vaulted them to an 8-6 win over the Salt Lake Bees at Smith's Ballpark in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Black's steal of home was part of a double steal, with Brian Bogusevic stealing second base on the play, and part of a night in which the Zephyrs stole a season-high five bases.

Black had one hit in his last 16 at-bats dating back to August 11 against the Memphis Redbirds before the three-bagger that helped the Zephyrs snap a three-game losing streak and keep them from being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

Co-American South leaders Memphis and the Nashville Sounds both won their games Sunday to put the Z's elimination number at one with eight games remaining.

The Zephyrs trailed Salt Lake 4-3 after five innings, as the Bees rallied from a two-run deficit after the top of the first with four runs on eight hits and two walks against New Orleans starter Brian Flynn.

Brian Bogusevic and Kike Hernandez hit two of the Z's three doubles on the night against Bees starter Randy Wolf in back-to-back at-bats in the first inning. Bogusevic scored on Hernandez's two-bagger, and Hernandez crossed home plate on a single by Justin Bour.

Grant Green singled and scored on a double by C.J. Cron for Salt Lake in the bottom of the inning, but the Zephyrs came back with a run in the third when Austin Wates doubled, stole his first of two bases on the night with a swipe of third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Bogusevic.

Flynn encountered trouble in the bottom of the frame, giving up a leadoff double to J.B. Shuck and a run-scoring single to Brennan Boesch, who scored two batters later on a base hit to center by Roberto Lopez that tied the game at three.

Salt Lake took the lead with the squeeze play in the fourth inning when Shuck reached first on a bunt that allowed Tony Campana to score the go-ahead run.

Wolf held the one-run lead into the sixth inning until he hit Bour with a pitch and gave up a single to Rob Brantly that drove in Bour from second after he stole the base when Kyle Jensen struck out for the second out of the inning.

Kyler Newby (0-4) came in for Wolf to begin the eighth and retired the first two batters on five pitches before Josh Rodriguez reached on a base hit to right field. Dustin Richardson replaced Newby to finish the inning, but he allowed a single to Brantly that placed runners on the corner for Black's triple.

Rett Varner (5-1) received the victory because he relieved Flynn with two outs in the seventh, although he also gave up a single and walk to two of the first three batters of the eighth and was charged with a run when Chaz Roe walked Shawn O'Malley with the bases loaded after giving up a single to Campana.

Shuck lined into a double play with a ball hit to Hernandez at shortstop to end the inning, and the Bees tacked on a run in the ninth with a leadoff double by Vance Albitz and a sacrifice fly from Cron before Roe wrapped up his 14th save of the season.

The two teams are scheduled to play the second game of their four-game series at 8:05 p.m. Monday at Smith's Ballpark.