BACK-TO-BACK: Barons beat Biscuits again to win Southern League title

Over the last 16 months, the Birmingham Barons and the Montgomery Biscuits have been in the spotlight more than most minor league baseball teams are used to.

From a national spotlight game at Rickwood Field to the 2024 Southern League Championship Series, the two teams have been a must-see, in-state rivalry on the diamond.

That continued this week as the Barons and Biscuits squared off for another trophy Wednesday night (and Thursday afternoon) at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery. 

And once again, it was the team from the Magic City that got to celebrate with the trophy.

The Barons took down the Biscuits 6-3 in the decisive Game 3 of the championship series, a game that was spread across two days with three separate weather delays.

This is the first time in the modern era of the Southern League that the Barons have won consecutive championships. They become the first team to repeat since 2019.

Montgomery Biscuits

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The Biscuits swept their division series to return to the championship series for the third time in five seasons. But for the third time in five seasons, Montgomery fell in the championship series as the franchise’s title drought is now at 18 years.

Still, Montgomery remains one of the most successful teams in the Southern League. The Biscuits have made 10 consecutive playoff appearances and have 13 playoff appearances in 21 seasons since moving to Montgomery.

Game 3 became an extended challenge for both teams. A nearby lightning strike delayed the start of the game for 30 minutes. Then, after 4.5 innings of play, rain arrived and it did not slow down for hours, causing the league to have to suspend the game until Thursday.

The Barons took their 5-1 lead into the next day and held on for a 6-3 victory.

Birmingham Barons

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The Barons finished with the best record in the league during the regular season but with how the playoffs are formatted, they did not get homefield advantage in either round of the playoffs.

That may have been a good thing for the team as they dropped both home games in the playoffs. 

The Barons faced elimination in four games, all of them on the road, and won every single one of them to clinch the championship. They never even trailed in any of the elimination games.

In the championship series, they got great outings from both starting pitchers on the road.

• Game 2: Tanner McDougal – 4IP, 0H, 0R, 6K
• Game 3: Hagen Smith – 4IP, 2H, 2R, 6K