SL CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham sweeps Biscuits for title

By TIM GAYLE

DJ Gladney’s bases-loaded single to center field gave the Birmingham Barons a 2-1 victory in the 10th inning to clinch the Southern League Championship Series in front of 4,287 fans at Regions Field on Tuesday night.

Montgomery’s championship drought was extended another year, leaving the Biscuits with the longest in the Southern League. Since the Biscuits’ title in 2007, Chattanooga (2017), Mississippi (2021), Pensacola (2022), Tennessee (2023) and now Birmingham have won titles while Biloxi (2015) and Rocket City (2017) have established new franchises.

For the Barons, it was their Southern League-best eighth championship. Birmingham previously won titles in 1967, 1983, 1987, 1989, 1993, 2002 and 2013.

Montgomery closer Austin Vernon pitched the bottom of the 10th for the Biscuits. With Shawn Goosenberg placed on second by international tiebreaker rules, the Barons sent the top of their order to the plate. Vernon struck out Rikuu Nishida, but walked Matt Hogan, then allowed both runners to advance on a wild pitch. Vernon then intentionally walked Wilfred Veras, setting the stage for Gladney’s game-winning hit.  

In the top of the 10th, Tanner Murray was placed on second base but Carson Williams struck out, Tre’ Morgan lined out to first and Dominic Keegan grounded out to third for Montgomery.

The Biscuits sent the game into extra innings with their only base hit of the night with runners in scoring position. Dru Baker hit a one-out single in the ninth inning, went to second on a wild pitch and to third on a groundout. Chandler Simpson then delivered the game-tying double on a 1-1 pitch from closer Eric Adler to tie the game before Murray grounded out.

The Biscuits had runners on base in each of the first seven innings, but went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position during those innings. In the first and seventh innings, Simpson reached base, only to be erased by Murray on a double play both times. Montgomery’s best scoring opportunity came in the third inning when Matthew Etzel reached on an infield single, Simpson singled and stole second and Williams drew a one-out walk to load the bases. Morgan then hit a grounder to the pitcher, forcing out Etzel at the plate, and Keegan flied out to leave the Biscuits scoreless. 

The Barons took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Montgomery starter Yoniel Curet hit Nishida with a pitch, Veres followed with an infield single and Michael Turner hit a two-out single to score Nishida.

Curet went four innings, allowing three hits and a run while striking out six. Evan Reifert. Keyshawn Askew, Paul Gervase and Jack Hartman all followed with scoreless relief.

Birmingham starter Juan Carela allowed five hits and three walks over 4.2 innings, but left with a 1-0 lead. Caleb Freeman, Zach Franklin and Peyton Pallette followed with scoreless relief before closer Eric Adler surrendered two hits and a run in the ninth.

Birmingham’s championship was a surprise of sorts for the Double-A franchise of the White Sox. After clinching a playoff berth by winning the first half North Division title, the Barons went into a tailspin as their most promising players were promoted to help the White Sox or Triple-A Charlotte. Birmingham trailed Tennessee by as many as 17 games in the final week of the regular season, then defeated the Smokies 2-1 in the divisional series.

The Barons followed that with a two-game SL Championship Series’ sweep of Montgomery, which had swept the six-game regular season series from the Barons in their last trip to Regions Field on July 30-Aug. 4.

Montgomery, which won 40 games in both the first half and the second half of the season, clinched both halves for only the second time (2019) in franchise history. Montgomery earned a playoff berth for a Southern League-best ninth consecutive year, then won the divisional series for the first time since 2007 in a three-game series with Biloxi.