The Bananas secure home series sweep over Party Animals with help of Brett Young and Showdown star Danny Oberst
Star quality met peak athleticism in a three-game showdown between the Bananas and the Party Animals this past weekend in Savannah, Georgia. The guys returned to Grayson Stadium hoping to put on a show for their hometown fans. And boy did they deliver.
Game 1
To get things peeling, the Bananas called “Cowboy” Kyle Luigs to the bump, hoping that their strong starter would make an early impact against the Party Animals. Energy scorched through the stadium and onto the field as DR Meadows, the Bananas’ resident center fielder, pulled out all of the defensive stops.
On just the second batter of the inning, Meadows caught air time, snatching a Jake Skole fly ball in deep center mid-backflip. That trick play was his 70th of the season, making him the first outfielder in Banana Ball history to reach that number.
A sound performance from Luigs on the rubber coupled with a rock solid defense headlined by Meadows kept the Party Animals at bay, at least in the first inning.
Noah Fisher, the extra hitter for the Party Animals, wasn’t willing to keep that up for long, however. He walked up to the plate in the top of the second inning with purpose, smashing a two-run home run to deep left field off of Luigs. The Bananas’ had no response in the bottom of the inning which sealed the deal on a lead for the Animals and put the first number on the board.
The fourth inning was quiet at the plate for both teams, allowing the Party Animals to hold onto their one-point lead. Ethan Skuija relieved Luigs on the mound going into the fifth inning, and the Party Animals took advantage of the change.
The Animals’ bats were hot and the Bananas’ defense was faltering. Tanner “Tinder” Thomas reached first on a ball four sprint and Chase Ahchuff advanced him to second on a pop-fly to Meadows. The centerfielder attempted a trick play but it was to no avail. There were now two on with not a single out thus far in the inning. Jorden Hussein kept the party rolling with a line drive to left field. The RBI scored two. Dalton Cornett arrived soon after, driving in a run on a single to left field. Skole’s ball four sprint roped in one more, and the Animals walked away with fire burning all around them. They had collected a total of four runs in the top of the fifth inning.
With just one solid hit from Bill Leroy, who later scored on a pass ball, the Bananas left the inning with just one run, handing over a point to the Party Players.
Like the calm before a storm, the sixth inning came and went quietly, as if it were foreshadowing the thunder that would soon be rolling through the stadium.
Brett Young couldn’t have gone to bed Thursday night if he hadn’t made a stop in Grayson Stadium. The country music superstar waltzed down from the Shark Tank and through the crowd singing his hit song “Sleep Without You.” Decked out in Bananas’ gear, he strutted onto the field with an ‘apeeling’ entourage, where he finally swapped his mic for a ball glove.
The California native is no stranger to competition. The time he spent in college as an Ole’ Miss pitcher had prepared him for this exact moment; for his Banana Ball debut.
Young might have skipped a step in his pregame routine, however, because unfortunately for him and the peel team, he gave up five runs. Defensive flaws contributed to the Animals’ success as well, as a couple of missed trick plays allowed the guys in pink to advance around the bases.
Despite the weak outing, Young was glad to have had the opportunity to be apart of the magic that occurs in Grayson Stadium.
“It’s a different kind of adrenaline for sure but it’s a familiar one,” Young said about playing in front of the Banana Ball crowd. “It’s probably been twenty years, but I remember the feeling. It was like stepping back into my college uniform pretty much.”
It wasn’t the end for the Bananas, though. Word on the street is that resident Hype Man Reggie did what he does best; light a fire under the Bananas’ bats.
And it worked.
The Greatest Showman Jackson Olson’s double to left center plated two runs and a ball four sprint allowed him to quickly cross home. Danny “Do-it-all” Hosley sent a rocket over to deep left center. The triple drove in Robert Anthony Cruz. The Animals’ pitcher, Zach Blankenship was relieved by Drew Gillespie, but it didn’t really matter. The Bananas’ rally continued with ease. The Boys of Fruit ultimately finished the inning with six runs, winning the seventh and tying up the Banana Ball game.
An empty eighth inning followed by nothing new in the ninth sent the two rivals into Showdowns, where each team was tied with two points on the board.
Austin Krzeminski was called to the bump by the Bananas, where he faced off against the Animals’ center fielder Reece Hampton. Unfortunately for Hampton, his at-bat resulted in no success, leaving the Showdown wide open for the Bananas’ biggest bat, Danny Oberst.
The fate of his team fell into Oberst’s hands.
And he delivered.
“Those are the moments we live for,” Oberst said following the win. “I was just happy to be up there and it worked out.”
A shot to the left center wall sent the stadium into a spiral. The Bananas walked away with a 3-2 win in game one of the series.
Game 2
The Party Animals were yearning for a reason to party and they strutted into game two with something to prove.
DR Meadows carried his acrobatics from game one into game two, starting inning one off strong with a trick play; this time a cartwheel on a Dalton Cornett pop fly to center field. Despite the excitement, the first inning went scoreless on each side.
In the top of the second inning, Noah Niznik, the ‘ripe’ guy for the spot on the bump, escaped what could’ve been a jam, allowing his offense to go into the bottom of the inning with nothing yet on the board. They took advantage of that, and ultimately roped in a run after Michael Deeb’s ball four sprint. The Bananas escaped the inning with a run on the board and ultimately the first point of the game.
The Party Animals’ leadoff hitter in the top of the third inning came back with vengeance. Jake Skole walked up with confidence and was celebrated soon after, solidifying the first run in the game for his team. Unfortunately for him, however, that one run meant next to nothing after a defensive error allowed Meadows to score a run of his own in the bottom of the inning.
The Men in Pink came back to the top of the fourth inning with guns blazing. Noah Fisher, their extra hitter, smashed a leadoff double. Tanner Thomas’ at bat came next, and an RBI single allowed Fisher to dance across home. Taj Porter, the designated hitter for the Animals, cleaned up the bases with a double down the right field line.
The Bananas had no response for their rivals’ three run shove, handing over the point for the inning and tying up the game with one point each.
Strike and arrow extraordinaire Andy Archer took his place on the bump for the Bananas as they headed into the fifth inning. Archer was hoping to curb the Animals’ hunger at the plate. It seemed to work, as defense worked quickly to shut down the party at the plate.
In the bottom of the inning, the ultimate party ensued, as Dustin Baber, the Animals’ second baseman, capped off his birthday celebrations with his 100th trick play of the season.
Baber ended last season just seven trick plays short of reaching the triple digits.
“That was the goal last year and I came up shy,” Baber said. “I knew this year I had to cross that threshold.”
Baber attributed either “fate or dumb luck” to his ability to reach 100 trick plays on his birthday.
In this half inning, the Animals’ defense was a brick house. Catcher Taj Porter caught a foul ball behind the dish and Garrett Delano’s outing on the mound was solid, as he allowed just one run through five innings.
The game remained tied with one point each until the bottom of the sixth inning.
That’s when Savannah’s local SuperMan Reese Alexiades went oppo taco, walking off the sixth with a home run and a new leader on the board. The Bananas left the inning with two points while the Animals trailed with one.
This is when the madness ensued.
The Animals trailed and the Bananas were ripe! Their defense was held together by trick play after trick play and that arsenal was backed by even more rockets.
Bill Leroy walked up to the plate as the leadoff for the bottom of the seventh inning. On the first pitch of his at-bat he walked off the seventh inning with a straight shot over the wall. The Bananas continued to solidify their lead, and they weren’t looking to let go of it any time soon.
In fact, Robert Anthony Cruz decided he wanted a homer of his own. For the third walk- off home run of the game, RAC sent one right over the Animals’ center fielder.
“There’s homers in the Reggie-nade,” RAC said after his shot. “Three of them to be exact.”
The Animals had a stint of success in the top of the ninth when Reece Hampton’s plate appearance resulted in a two-run home run over to right field. The hit wasn’t enough though.
The Bananas shut down the rest of the offense with near perfect defense, and secured their win in the second game of the series.
“This is why we created this game,” Jesse Cole, the team owner, said after the exciting Banana win. “To see what happened, I mean back-to-back-to-back walk-off home runs? I mean that’s unbelievable!”
Game 3
The Party Animals marched into game three hoping to secure a win. They had something to prove and not a ton to lose at this point and they played that way.
They started hot.
In the top of the first inning, Reece Hampton, the Animals’ center fielder, led the game off with a high and mighty pop-fly to the right-center wall for a double. A ball four sprint for Jorden Hussein allowed Hampton to score the first run of the game.
In the bottom of the first inning, the Boys in Pink called up Sean Fluke to kick things off at the rubber. Uncharacteristic wildness from Fluke allowed DR Meadows to lead things off with a ball four sprint. Meadows’ wore his rockets this day, and was able to steal second with ease. Eric Jones Jr. sent him home on a pop-fly triple to deep center.
Reese Alexiades kept the scoring train going, and his sacrifice pop-fly sent Jones Jr. in, allowing the Bananas to win the point for the first inning.
Robert Anthony Cruz notched his 23rd trick play in the Banana Ball World Tour with a backflip catch off of a Jason Swan fly ball to open up the second inning. Jared Donalson, Bananas’ starting pitcher, started his night off with a strong outing. Backed by a strong defense, he was able to clock in the 100th inning thrown in less than two minutes.
“I just want to come out here and give the fans a show,” Donalson said, “but also give my team a chance to win, and come out here to compete, and just have fun doing it.”
Jackson Olson’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the inning further secured the Bananas’ lead. He led the bottom inning off with a solo shot to the right field landing deck.
“The Bananas are hot right now,” Olson said. “I don’t know what’s gonna stop us.”
After just the second inning, the Bananas were up with two points, while the Animals had none.
The top of the third inning was quiet for the Partiers. The Bananas were able to shut down any offense with a few trick plays. Meadows noted his second trick play of the season as an infielder.
The bottom of the inning brought absolute madness. Coach RAC kicked things off at the plate with a single and Ryan Cox advanced him to second with a single of his own to right field.
Dakota “Stilts” Albritton headed to the plate next, and was able to contribute in a huge way. This was the world’s tallest batter’s first plate appearance as a starter in Banana Ball.
And it paid off.
Stilts sent a line drive just over the head of Fluke, and RAC, was given the go-ahead to fly home.
Despite Bronson Balholm’s attempt at covering up home plate, even sitting criss-cross applesauce, No. 15 was still able to get the run. A fan challenge further concluded that Cruz was safe, allowing the Bananas to walk away from the third inning with a point.
Backed by their biggest supporters, the Bananas got their first out in the top of the fourth inning with the help of a fan. It was the 68th fan to catch a foul ball on this year’s World Tour.
The Animals didn’t let it stop them, though. The rest of the Boys in Pink contributed at the plate, with Dalton Cornett reaching first on a missed trick play. Noah Fisher continued to be a shining light on the Animals’ line-up, reaching first on a grounder down the third base line. Swans’ single to left field filled the bases and set the stage for Tanner Thomas’s plate appearance.
Thomas’s hit bounced off the glove of Meadows at second and rolled into the hands of Brandon Crosby out in right. The error gave Cornett and Fisher just enough time to cross home. Meadows redeemed himself with a double play to close out the inning, but only after the Animals secured a two-run lead on the inning.
Hoping to shut down the ripe Banana offense, Dalton Ponce was called to relieve Fluke on the mound in the bottom of the fourth. Ponce noted a hit-by-pitch against his first opponent.
Danny Oberst approached the plate next with an appearance similar to a caveman, carrying a bat that stood nearly as tall as him after spinning the Wheel of Bats. Backed by pure solidity, Oberst landed on first due to fielder’s choice. Less-than-productive at-bats for the rest of the Bananas allowed the Party Animals to walk away from inning four with a point. They were closing in on their rivals’ lead with a lot of game still ready to be played.
Ryan Kellogg took his place on the rubber to kick off the top of the fifth inning. A missed trick play by Cox allowed Balholm to reach second. The error proved to be crucial when Balholm crossed home after a passed ball behind the dish allowed Jorden Hussein to steal first. Jake Skole kept the rally going with a line drive down the third base line, drawing in one more run in the top of the fifth.
Ty Jackson’s double to deep center followed by Michael Deeb’s sacrifice fly to score Jackson was not enough to win the inning. Balholm cemented that fact with a diving catch on a foul ball to close out the inning. The Animals made it a one point game.
Kellogg proved to be a solid arm for the Bananas, making quick work of his opponents in the top of the sixth.
The guys in white and yellow walked off the bottom of the sixth inning, thanks to Bill Leroy’s sacrifice fly to deep left field, adding on to the lead they had secured in the second inning.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Cruz hit for the cycle, reaching third on a shot that reached the center field wall. Deeb rewarded his team mate with a productive at-bat, allowing Cruz to cross home after a ball four sprint. The Bananas added yet another point to the board, taking on a three-point lead in the game.
The eighth inning came and went quietly, while both teams awaited the intensity of the ninth inning. In the last inning of a Banana Ball game, every run counts as a point, making the Animals as dangerous as ever.
Danny Hosley took the mound, hoping to stop a rally party before it could begin.
Skole had other plans.
The Golden Batter for the Animals wasted little time, sending the second pitch in his at-bat to the moon, and making it a two point game.
Chase Achuff hopped on the rally train, roping in a double that allowed Fisher to sit on third after his ball four sprint. Reece Hampton kept the party going with a single through the right side, scoring the pinch runner and making it a one-point game.
Skole was due up yet again and proved himself to be just one of many guns in the Animals’ bat arsenal. His drive to right-center sent in Hampton. The game was tied, and after an unproductive bottom half inning, it was time for a Showdown.
Banana Ball Veteran Bill Leroy allowed the Showdown to continue after keeping a Hampton blooper fair. The Party Animals’ challenge further confirmed that Leroy was successful in keeping the Animal off of the bases.
“The game was over as soon as that ball was called fair and Reece Hampton was out,” Leroy said.
Oberst was chosen as the Bananas’ Showdown Star and for the second time in the series, he proved to be the right pick.
The heavy hitter sent a ball to center field, and after overthrowing Balholm at home, Oberst was able to dance across the plate, winning the Banana Ball game 6-5 and securing the Bananas’ series sweep.
“Danny Oberst coming to the plate, clutch as all get out,” Leroy said after Oberst’s walk-off. “Nobody else I’d want at the plate to finish the game off and he does it back-to-back nights. Dude’s a king.”
The Bananas and the Party Animals travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, where their Banana Ball World Tour continues.
The resilience of the Banana team proves to be a deciding factor in the outcome of these Banana Ball games, but looking ahead, the boys in yellow aren’t looking at the numbers.
“Our goal is just to play hard,” Oberst said. “When everyone leaves here, they should say, ‘those guys played hard.’”
With just 13 games left in the season, the Party Animals have to secure some wins in Salt Lake. Without them, their hopes of winning the Tour are over. With such a strong outing both offensively and defensively from the Bananas, they have some work cut out for them.
“The Bananas are rolling,” Leroy said. “The boys are hot.”