M-Braves one win from title after wild 11-9 victory on Friday

PEARL, MS - The Mississippi Braves took a 2-1 series lead over Montgomery Friday, staving off a late Biscuits comeback, 11-9. The M-Braves hit three home runs and used a six-run eighth inning to help propel them to the victory. Spencer Strider retired the first nine batters of the game on the way to 5.0 innings of three-run ball.

The M-Braves (2-1) are just one win away from winning the best-of-five Double-A South Championship Series, which would be the first league championship since 2008.

The M-Braves struck first in the bottom of the third inning. Justin Dean began the inning with a single to left, and Trey Harris followed with a walk. CJ Alexander delivered an RBI single to right field with two outs to give the M-Braves an early 1-0 lead.

Jordan Brink entered in the bottom of the fourth inning for Biscuits (1-2) starter Jack Labosky. Labosky finished with 3.0 innings, three hits, one walk, four strikeouts, and one earned run. The M-Braves added a couple of runs off Brink with a two-out rally. Drew Lugbauer doubled, and Jacob Pearson hit an RBI single to right field. Dean then laced the first pitch of the at-bat for an RBI ground-rule double to extend the lead to 3-0.

The Biscuits broke through in the top of the fifth inning. Cal Stevenson singled to open the inning. Two batters later, Niko Hulsizer hit a two-run homer to give the Biscuits the lead. Jim Haley then singled and attempted to steal second base. However, a double error on the stolen base attempt allowed the run to score and tie the game at 3-3.

Corbin Clouse relieved Strider after five strong innings. Strider finished with 5.0 innings, six hits, seven strikeouts, and three runs (two earned). The Biscuits went ahead in the top of the sixth inning. Ford Proctor led off with a walk against Clouse, and Ruben Cardenas singled. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, which ended Clouse's night. Brandon White (W, 2-0) replaced Clouse, and a runner scored on a wild pitch to the next batter to give the Biscuits a 4-3 lead.

The M-Braves responded in the bottom of the sixth inning courtesy of Lugbauer. With two-outs, Lugbauer launched a 477 foot home run to centerfield to tie the game at 4.

Chris Muller (L 0-1) started the bottom of the seventh inning in relief. Dean and Harris greeted Muller with back-to-back walks. Then, after a lineout by Braden Shewmake, Shea Langeliers hit a missile off the top of the left-field wall for a go-ahead RBI double to take the 5-4 lead.

The M-Braves added big insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning with a six spot. Greyson Jenista started the bottom of the eighth inning with a leadoff home run. Lugbauer then reached second base on a Biscuits error. Two batters later, Dean and Harris both drove in runs with back-to-back RBI doubles. Shewmake then laced an RBI single to left field. After a strikeout, CJ Alexander launched a two-run home run to right-centerfield to extend the lead to 11-4.

The Biscuits made a ferocious comeback in the top of the ninth inning. A grand slam and a solo home run brought the Biscuits within two. Two more runners reached, and the go-ahead run was in the batter's box. Nolan Kingham (S, 2) struck out the final batter on a perfectly painted 3-2 fastball with two outs to record the save.

Dean led the way with three hits, while Langeliers, Alexander, and Lugbauer recorded two hits each.

The M-Braves will look to clinch their second league championship in team history on Saturday. RHP William Woods (0-0, --) will start for Mississippi against RHP Miller Hogan (0-1, 3.18) for the Biscuits. The first pitch is set for 6:05 pm with coverage on 103.9 WYAB, mississippibraves.com, and MiLB.tv.

Tickets are available by visiting mississippibraves.com or visiting the Trustmark Park Box Office.