Biscuits streak into postseason

Chris Nowak homered and drove in four runs Friday as the streaking Montgomery Biscuits defeated the Jacksonville Suns, 6-3, to clinch the Southern League South Division second-half title.

Nowak blasted a three-run homer, his sixth, off starter Clayton Kershaw (1-2) in the first inning to send the red-hot Biscuits (43-23) on the way to their 12th straight victory.

"I faced [Kershaw] once in relief and he struck me out," Nowak said. "He throws hard. I was looking for a fastball away, I got a good pitch and hit it about two rows deep."

The 24-year-old first baseman, who added a run-scoring triple in the third, is impressed by Montgomery's recent hot play.

"I've never been a part of a team that's won 12 in a row," he said amid a raucous celebration in the visitors' clubhouse. "Once we saw that we were in the playoff race, we really came together."

As for the postseason, manager Billy Gardner Jr. isn't expecting his squad to roll over the competition like it has the past two weeks.

"I like our chances," he said. "But when you're dealing with a short series, you just don't know."

Josh Asanovich slugged a solo homer, his first, before Reid Brignac lifted a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Montgomery's Wade Davis (7-3) yielded three runs on eight hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings to win his third straight start. Tim Corcoran fanned three in 1 2/3 scoreless frames for his third save.

Kershaw surrendered six runs -- three earned -- on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.

Alberto Concepcion Jr. lined an RBI single before Cory Dunlap and Xavier Paul drew bases-loaded walks in the sixth for Jacksonville (38-28).