The Mississippi Braves celebrating their playoff win in the locker room. Photo by Courtesy Mississippi Braves
The formula was simple for the Mississippi Braves Sept. 2, the final day of play in the 2013 Southern League Season: All the team had to do was win against the Jacksonville Suns and hope the Mobile Baybears defeated the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. A loss by the M-Braves or a Pensacola win would mean the end of the Braves' season.
Mississippians got some good news when they learned that Mobile defeated Pensacola 10-1. That made the Braves-Jacksonville game a winner-take-all matchup for the final spot in the Southern League playoffs.
Mobile's victory earned the team the South Division title for the first and second half of the season.
The Braves jumped out to a 2-0 lead against Jacksonville after scoring a run in the top of the first and second innings. Jacksonville took the lead in the bottom of the third inning at 4-2, with a bases-loaded three-run double. A single earlier in the inning scored the first run of the game for the Suns.
The M-Braves retook the lead 5-4 in the top of the fifth by scoring two singles. Jacksonville tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning at 5-5 with a single before rain delayed the game for 39 minutes.
Both teams failed to score after the rain delay, forcing the game into extra innings.
In the bottom of the 10th inning, Jacksonville loaded the bases, but Mississippi got out of that jam, striking the Suns out before they could score. The Suns' failure to score with the bases loaded came back to haunt them in the 11th inning. Mississippi scored in the top of the inning when the Suns' shortstop committed an error, allowing the go-ahead run to score.
Leading 6-5 in the bottom of the 11th inning, all the M-Braves had to do was keep the Suns from tying the game. Jacksonville put a runner on first with two outs before the M-Braves closed the door on the game.
The win helped the M-Braves earn a 76-63 overall record, setting a record for most regular season wins in Mississippi Braves' franchise history.
Mississippi will face Mobile in the playoffs starting Thursday night. This series is a matchup between the best two pitching staffs in the Southern League.
The Baybears have a Southern League best 3.03 ERA and the M-Braves are behind them with a 3.07 team ERA. Mobile and the M-Braves have the best team ERA's since 2006, when West Tennessee (2.84 ERA) and Jacksonville's (2.98 ERA) pitching staffs dominated the Southern League.
Mississippi will play the first two games of the best-of-five series in Mobile before hosting the Baybears Saturday night in Pearl at Trustmark Park. If needed, games four and five would shift the series back to Mobile by virtue of the Baybears winning the season's first- and second-half titles. The M-Braves will try to deny Mobile a third-straight Southern League title.
Mike Lee will start game one of the series for Mississippi. If the M-Braves win the South Divisional Series, Trustmark Park would host the first two games of the Championship Series.
Tickets for Saturday's night game are on sale now, and the game starts at 7 p.m.
Ticket prices for post season games are as follows: Club Level, $20; Home Plate Level, $15; Dugout Level, $12; Field Level, $8; and General Admission/Berm seating, $6. Call 888-BRAVES4, visit mississippibraves.com or stop by the Trustmark Park box office Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to purchase tickets.
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