SOUTHERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP: Braves win fifth and deciding game
The Braves’ Greyson Jenista hit the game-winning home run in the fifth and deciding game Sunday against the Biscuits. (File Photo)
By TIM GAYLE
PEARL, Miss. – The Montgomery Biscuits got a championship-caliber performance from its pitching staff, but Mississippi was a little better as the Braves edged the Biscuits 2-1 to win the Double-A South Championship Series at Trustmark Park on Sunday night.
Adrian De Horta, Cristofer Ogando and Justin Sterner combined to hold the Braves to four hits, but Greyson Jenista’s two-out homer in the fifth -- his third in the Championship Series -- broke a 1-1 tie and the Biscuits never recovered.
Montgomery (64-58) was making its first Championship Series appearance since winning back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007, while Mississippi (70-46) was making its first since winning the Southern League (now Double-A South) championship in 2008.
Montgomery won the first game of the best-of-five series at Riverwalk on Tuesday and fought off elimination with a win at Trustmark on Saturday night, but missed several opportunities to win in each of the other three games, including Sunday.
Jonathan Aranda singled with one out in the first off of Mississippi starter Alan Rangel and Ford Proctor followed with a walk, but Ruben Cardenas and Cal Stevenson both struck out to end the threat.
The Biscuits broke a scoreless tie in the second when Jim Haley reached on a one-out infield single, stole second and advanced to third on a deep fly to left field by catcher Chris Betts. Mississippi left fielder Trey Harris’ throw was offline and got a piece of Haley on the toss and the error allowed the Biscuits’ shortstop to score the game’s first run.
Xavier Edwards singled to center to begin the fourth, but Rangel responded by retiring the next 12 Biscuits in order to help his team maintain a 2-1 lead entering the seventh. Mississippi relievers Brandon White and Jake Higginbotham also retired the Biscuits in order in the seventh and eighth, respectively, before Cardenas finally delivered a two-out single off of closer Nolan Kingham.
Cardenas then moved to second on a passed ball by catcher Shea Langeliers, but Cal Stevenson popped out to C.J. Alexander in foul territory in front of the Braves’ dugout to give Kingham his third save of the Championship Series and the Braves the 2021 league title.
De Horta, who pitched the Biscuits to an opening series’ win on Tuesday, went five innings and struck out six, but took the loss after Jenista’s home run. The Braves scored their first run in the second inning as Langeliers drew a walk and took second on a De Horta wild pitch. Alexander followed with an RBI double to right to tie the game.
From there, De Horta allowed only a two-out single to Trey Harris in the third and a fourth-inning single to Alexander, who was gunned down by Cardenas trying to stretch the hit into a double, before Jenista hit his 22nd homer of the year on a blast to right centerfield in the fifth.
Ogando retired all six batters, striking out three, in the sixth and seventh innings for the Biscuits, and Sterner did the same in the eighth, but the Biscuits’ offense couldn’t find a run.
Ironically, the two teams will open the 2022 season against each other, playing on April 8 at Trustmark Park.