Rainout completes Biscuits comeback for playoff berth
Morgan Ensberg has ed the Montgomery Biscuits to six consecutive playoff berths. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
When the Montgomery Biscuits walked off the field following a 7-0 loss to the Mississippi Braves on Sept. 10, their playoff hopes were all but dashed.
After seven consecutive losses, the Biscuits had gone from six games out of first place and two games ahead of third-place Birmingham to 3.5 games behind the Barons for the second and final playoff spot
By the time the Barons and the Biscuits met in Montgomery for the final six games of the regular season, the Biscuits’ margin for error was virtually eliminated.
Montgomery responded with one of the more memorable rallies in the history of the Southern League, now known as Double-A South, by winning its final six games, including four over the Barons, to finish a half-game ahead of Birmingham for the final playoff spot.
The Biscuits will play the Mississippi Braves in a best-of-five series beginning Tuesday at Riverwalk Stadium to determine the Double-A South champion.
This year’s COVID-adjusted schedule started a month late and finished on Sunday. Tennessee’s game at Biloxi was the only Double-A South game played on the final day of the regular season as rain washed out most of the league
Birmingham and Montgomery started a game after a 90-minute rain delay that completed the first inning before rain delayed it again. The plan was to play a seven-inning contest and if Montgomery won, it would settle the race for second place and the second game of a doubleheader -- a rescheduled washout from Thursday -- wouldn’t be played. As it turned out, two hours of waiting to resume the game was enough as both games were canceled, leaving Montgomery as the runner-up in the overall standings.
The Double-A South playoff schedule, established with COVID adjustments by Major League Baseball, features the two teams with the best records, regardless of division standing, in a best-of-five series to determine the league champion. The first two games will be played at the runner-up, with the remaining three played at the regular season champion.
It will mark the sixth consecutive year the Biscuits have earned a trip to the postseason, the longest streak in Double-A South since Birmingham made six consecutive trips in 2000-05.
The Biscuits have made nine postseason appearances since moving from Orlando to Montgomery in 2004, the most of any Double-A South franchise in that stretch. Chattanooga and Tennessee have each made seven postseason appearances since 2004.
Montgomery was at or near the top of the standings for virtually the entire season before going into a seven-game tailspin in early September. The Biscuits were 56-48 after beating Pensacola on Sept. 2, six games behind Mississippi (59-39) and two ahead of Birmingham (54-50) and three ahead of Pensacola (51-49)
After the shutout loss to Mississippi on Sept. 10, the Biscuits were 56-55 and in a virtual tie for third with Pensacola (54-53), 12 games behind Mississippi (65-40) and 3.5 behind the Barons (60-52).
After beating Mississippi 6-3 and 8-0, the Biscuits returned home and swept all four games from the Barons as Xavier Edwards batted .500 (12 for 24) with three RBIs, Ford Proctor batted .412 (7 for 17) with eight RBIs and Cal Stevenson batted .364 (8 for 22) with six RBIs in the six-game winning streak.
Jack Labosky had a pair of wins on the mound, including his one-hitter on Saturday, and Easton McGee, who started Sunday’s game, had another.
Now, the hottest team in the league will meet the team with the best record to determine the champion.
DOUBLE-A SOUTH PLAYOFFS
BEST OF FIVE SERIES
Tuesday, Mississippi at Montgomery, Riverwalk Stadium, 6:35 p.m.
Wednesday, Mississippi at Montgomery, Riverwalk Stadium, 6:35 p.m.
Friday, Montgomery at Mississippi, Trustmark Park, 6:35 p.m.
Saturday, Montgomery at Mississippi, Trustmark Park, 6:05 p.m. (if necessary)
Sunday, Montgomery at Mississippi, Trustmark Park, 5:05 p.m. (if necessary)