it’s a title fight

Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton already has blown past the stolen base record, but some drama may yet unfold at Trustmark Park during the Pensacola-Mississippi series. The M-Braves’ Todd Cunningham and the Blue Wahoos’ Josh Fellhauer are battling for the Southern League batting title. Fellhauer, a left-handed hitting outfielder, goes into tonight’s game — the opener of a five-game set — with a league-best .313 mark, having gone 6-for-9 the last three days. Cunningham, who has more at-bats (442 to 310) and hits (138 to 97) than Fellhauer, is at .312. Cunningham, a switch-hitting outfielder, has had an eye-opening season: He’s scored 73 runs, driven in 49 and added six triples, three homers and 23 steals. A batting title would be a nice topper, as well as a first for the M-Braves since they arrived in Pearl. The Greenville Braves’ Napoleon Calzado led the SL in hitting (.359) in 2004, the franchise’s last season in South Carolina. P.S. Former M-Braves star Matt Young, recently signed by St. Louis, is hitting .391 through seven games at Triple-A Memphis. He was released by Detroit with a .212 average at Triple-A Toledo.