Sunday, September 15, 2013

Montgomery Rebels' record safe; Barons win Southern League title

The Montgomery Rebels' biggest piece of Southern League history is safe. For now.

The Mobile BayBears failed in their attempt for a third straight league championship, falling 4-2 to the Birmingham Barons on Sunday in Game 5 of the title series.

The Rebels are the only team in league history to win three straight. They did it 1975-77.

Mobile, after losing the first two games of the series at home, won the next two in Birmingham to force Sunday's decisive finale.

Micah Johnson, who homered to lead off the bottom of the first inning, hit a go-ahead RBI single in the second inning for the Barons.

Mobile scored twice in the top of the first to take the lead. After Johnson's first-inning homer, Birmingham scored three times in the second inning.

Barons starter Myles Jaye, after Mobile's two-run first, gave up just two more hits through the fifth. Ryan Kussmaul and Cody Winiarski finished an eight-hitter.

Birmingham won its first league championship since 2002. The Southern League started its playoff format in 1972. The Rebels won five of the first six titles.

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