The Chattanooga Lookouts finished their finest regular season as a Southern League member Monday afternoon, topping Montgomery 2-1 at AT&T Field to polish off a five-game sweep of the Biscuits.
Chattanooga followed up a 42-28 first half with a 49-21 second half for a 91-49 overall record, topping the 90 victories by the 1992 Lookouts. That team wound up losing the Southern League title to the 100-win Greenville Braves, who were led by Chipper Jones and Javy Lopez.
The Lookouts have not had a league equal this season, making them the overwhelming favorites to win a second championship in three years. Chattanooga will open the North Division series Wednesday night against the same Montgomery team the Lookouts whipped 20 times in 25 regular-season meetings, including 19 of the last 21.
"We're playing a good team in Montgomery, and we saw them a bunch in spring training and have seen them a bunch this year," Lookouts manager Jake Mauer said. "There are really no secrets as far as either team, so you just hope that you go out and play and give yourselves the best chance.
"Obviously it's nice what we've done in the regular season, but it really doesn't matter starting Wednesday. Everybody is 0-0 again and starting completely new."
The Lookouts took a 1-0 lead in the first inning Monday when Nick Gordon singled to center field and scored on a bases-loaded walk. They made it 2-0 when Andy Wilkins led off the fourth inning with a home run to right.
Ryan Eades pitched five scoreless innings and picked up the win.
Zack Littell and Dereck Rodriguez are scheduled to start Wednesday and Thursday for the Lookouts, who will host four games in the best-of-five division series should it go the distance. The South Division series matches Jacksonville and Pensacola, who finished the regular season against each other as well.
"They're in the same boat we are," Mauer said. "There aren't a lot of hidden secrets. You know everybody on each side. The potential of playing a team 10 straight times doesn't happen very often."
The Lookouts failed to match their on-field success in the AT&T Field stands this season, as their overall home attendance of 209,948 and their average home attendance of 3,181 were the lowest in the 18-year history of the 6,340-seat facility. Chattanooga's previous overall low was 217,469 in 2010, while the previous low average was 3,193 last year.
Rain washed out four dates during the season's first half, when the Lookouts typically draw more fans due to the cooler weather.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.