posted September 14, 2003
Friday night Rome overcame an early 3-0 deficit to beat Lake County 4-3 and close out the Class A South Atlantic League playoffs.
Northern Division winner Lake County, (Cleveland) had the best regular-season record in the minors (97-43).
But Rome (78-61) finished 21-9, elminated Hickory for the Southern Division title and then beat Lake County three games to one for the championship.
The Braves moved to Rome from Macon this season and won Atlanta's first title in the low Class A league since Greenwood was the 1979 champion.
It was the first championship for Rome manager Rocket Wheeler, who spent the previous 26 years as a player and manager in the Toronto organization.
Center fielder Jeff Francoeur, the Braves' first-round pick in 2002, was 2-for-4 in Rome's clinching victory and second baseman Jonathan Schuerholz drove in the winning run with an eighth-inning sacrafice fly. Francoeur hit .323 in the postseason.
Korean right-hander Sung Ki Jung pitched the ninth and saved four of Rome's five postseason victories. He had 18 regular-season saves after taking over as the closer in July.
Off to Arizona
Pitchers Brett Evert, Kevin Barry and Alec Zumwalt, shortstop Kelly Johnson, second baseman Richard Lewis and outfielder Adam Stern will play for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League, which begins Sept. 30. All but Stern, limited by a hamstring tear, played at least part of last season with Greenville.
Zumwalt, 22, has made quick progress after being converted from an outfielder to a reliever. He was 1-1 with a 1.42 ERA with Greenville after going 5-2 with a 2.22 ERA and six saves at Myrtle Beach.
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