The Chattanooga Lookouts will be playing past Labor Day.
They lost their third consecutive game Monday night, 4-2 in Mobile, but they are assured of at least a one-game Southern League playoff to determine the North Division's wild card. Chattanooga (72-62) leads Jackson (66-68) by six games in the overall standings with six games remaining, so any Lookouts win or Generals loss the rest of the way would secure Chattanooga a playoff spot.
The Lookouts haven't qualified for the playoffs since 2006.
Lookouts officials are offering fans the opportunity to buy tickets to the first potential home playoff game, which would be Sept. 10 against North Division first-half champion Tennessee. The tickets will go on sale this morning at 9 at AT&T Field.
The Smokies (37-27) pulled into a second-half tie with the Lookouts (37-27) on Monday night and could host four of the best-of-five divisional series games by winning both halves.
Ryan Wheeler's three-run homer to right field off Will Savage in the fifth inning catapulted Mobile to its win. Alfredo Silverio notched his 42nd double of the season in defeat.
Game six of the six-game series in Mobile is tonight at 8:05 EDT. Allen Webster (5-3, 5.29 ERA) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Lookouts, with Trevor Bauer (1-0, 2.40) scheduled for the BayBears.