highlights of missed bananas

So.
I missed the game last night.
I had obligated myself as an usher at the Lucas.
I'm sure Haley would have granted me leave from my post, but...
I had wanted that "spoonful of sugar"...
which I had signed up for when the Bananas were in 4th place, weeks ago.
Then, my boys of summer had jumped onboard a winning streak and obtained top ranking going into the Western Division Coastal Plains League championship playoffs!
Wow!!! I'm so glad I was there for that ride!
The wins had granted them the possibility of an extra week of games right here at Grayson Stadium.
But I already had made other plans to occupy my evenings. In fact, my dance card has been full every night since this time two weeks ago.
So.
The first playoff game, on Wednesday, I had missed.
My seat in Section J didn't go unoccupied, though. I had sold it to Susie (a fellow Lucas usher and baseball fan) at the screening of "Grease" last Friday. She had thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to sit in the box seats! The game was pretty good, too! It had been an intense bout against the Asheboro Copperheads, but the boys reigned victorious in the bottom of the 9th with a walk off win!
That led into a second playoff game last night, Friday night, against the Forest City Owls.
As I mentioned, I was already obligated to dance with another... so I allowed Susie to buy my seat again. She was thrilled! And what a pitchers' duel that was! Absolutely scoreless, for both sides, until the bottom of the 8th inning.
Incredible.
Here are the highlights, gleaned from the camerawork from WJCL.

Ryan Flores, #5, launches one from the mound...

... and comes off the mound later, whipping off his ballcap, all fired up!
He should be!
The boy pitched a scoreless eight innings to the Owls.

In the bottom of that 8th inning, the Bananas scored!
Clint Hardy, #25, got on base...

... then Jameson Hannah, #3, slammed the ball toward the rightfield wall!
Was it a homerun???
The ball had hit the pole and bounced back on the field...

... but Clint, an incredible runner, was definitely safe at home!
Yeah!
A run for the home team!

Then the four umpires reached a ruling:
home run for Hannah!
He was allowed to complete his victory trot from third base!
The boys had a two runs on the board!

The top of the 9th cinched the victory.
#6 Clay Dungan had fired the ball to #27 Jeff Nellis to secure the out at second...

... and Jeff had fired the ball to #32 Garrett Nelson to get the batter out at first base!
Gotta love those double plays!

And the
first-time-ever Savannah Bananas became the CPL West Division Champions
of the
college summer league!


What a Cinderella story!
A team coming from nowhere to win a title!
And, on Sunday, they compete for the Petitt Cup title against the East Division Champions in a best-of-three series.
That first game, against the Peninsula Pilots, will be on the Bananas' turf.
Susie already bought her own ticket.
You better believe I'm going to be there, too, cheering the boys on with my shouts of "Get a hit, hit, HIT!", and "Let's go, Bananas, lets' GO!" and "Strike him out! Pop him out! Throw him out!" and "Just one more out, Bananas!"
Oh, yes, I will!
Even though I already had something else scheduled for that night...
my boys of summer have one last game...
and I am so proud of them!
I get one last birthday:58 celebration with them!
Go, Bananas!