Following  an exciting weekend on the road in Philadelphia, the Savannah Bananas went back to where it all started. 

After all, there’s no place like home.

The last home games in Grayson Stadium, however, looked a little different. The aftermath of Hurricane Helene’s path through the southeast meant that the organization had to take a bit of an unconventional approach to putting together a top notch show. 

Generators kept the stadium running, and staff worked tirelessly to put forth a weekend that fans could remember, and they delivered. 

Game 1

With 77.1 innings and 57 strikeouts under his belt, Jared Donalson was chosen to kick things off on the mound for the Bananas. Donny Day started off hot, as the top of the inning was closed up with four trick plays. 

The veteran pitcher Brett Helton started on the bump for the Party Animals. Heading into the inning, Helton boasted an average of 3:38 minutes per inning, making him a huge threat to the Bananas lineup. 

The first inning wrapped up quickly as Helton closed up the bottom of the frame in just under five minutes. 

The Party Animals kicked off the top of the second frame with back-to-back singles, the first from Dalton Cornett and the second from Armonda Becerra. The Bananas rallied quickly with a double play, but it wasn’t enough to stop Bryson Bloomer from scoring the first run of the game with an RBI single. 

It didn’t matter though, because a ball four sprint in the bottom of the inning allowed Flash Tha Kid to cross home plate and knot up the inning. 

The Bananas’ resident Rocky blasted in the team’s first point of the game. Dan Oberst’s home run shot over the left field wall gave the boys in yellow the lead after the third inning. 

Ryan Kellogg took over on the bump for Donalson in the top of the fourth. A double play closed up the top of the frame and allowed the Bananas to hold onto that one point lead. 

In the top of the fifth inning, the Bananas’ shortstop Ryan Cox made Banana Ball history as the first player to reach 200 trick plays in a single season.  

The might bat of Oberst later sealed the deal on the yellow team’s win. His double in the bottom of the eighth inning gave the Bananas a two run lead over the Party Animals. The Boys in Pink were never able to notch a point offensively and they handed over their rivals’ first win of the weekend. 

Game 2 

Fans gathered in Grayson Stadium to witness the very last home Banana Ball game of the 2024 season, and they didn’t leave disappointed. 

The Savannah Bananas put on an offensive show and handled the plate with purpose. 

Noah Niznik started on the bump for the Bananas in game two of the weekend. The star pitcher averages just over four minutes per inning heading into his outing. 

The Party Animals scored the very first run of the game after a ball four sprint allowed Reece Hampton to cross home. Jason Swan drove in Jake Skole and allowed the Animals to close up to the top of the first with two runs. 

The Bananas matched that heat with two runs of their own, meaning that no one took the point for the first inning. 

The boys in yellow came out swinging in the bottom of the third inning. Three straight singles from DR Meadows, Oberst and Eric Jones Jr. set the stage for a Party Animals’ double play, but only after Danny Hosley sent in a run to walk off the inning. 

The Bananas grabbed onto a lead that they never let go of. 

“Cowboy” Kyle Luigs relieved Niznik on the mound in the top of the fourth, just in time for Skole to come to the plate. Ty Jackson misjudged Skole’s ball out in left field, allowing him to reach third. He made up for his error quickly with a diving catch for the first out of the inning. 

Swan noted his second RBI of the weekend, and allowed the Animals to leave the top of the frame with a run. 

Brandon Crosby kicked off the bottom of the inning with a single and Dalton Mauldin followed his teammate in the same fashion. Jackson continued to have a day with a single of his own, loading up the bases with no outs and Michael Deeb walking up to the plate. 

A missed trick play by Dustin Baber allowed the Bananas to score a run and tie up the inning. A wild pitch to Alex Ziegler allowed Mauldin to cross home, giving the Bananas a two-point lead after the fourth inning. 

In the top of the fifth, Taj Porter pieced together a solid at-bat with a blast to the right field wall. The RBI double drove in a run for the Animals. 

It was to no avail. Bill Leroy drove in Meadows in the bottom of the fifth to tie up the inning. The Bananas held onto their two-point lead as the Banana Ball game went into the sixth. 

KJ Jackson logged his second career walk-off in the bottom of the sixth inning, widening the Bananas’ lead to three. 

The train kept rolling in the bottom of the seventh inning, as the boys in yellow notched a fourth point after Jones Jr’s ball four sprint to walk off the inning. 

The eighth inning was complete with yet another walk off after Leroy’s fourth home run of the season. The Party Animals trailed their rivals by five as the game headed into the final inning. 

A small offensive rally kept the Animals afloat in the top of the ninth, but unfortunately for them, a strong defensive outing kept them away from home plate. 

The Banana took game two 5-0 and swept the two-game set with ease. 

The last Banana Ball game of the 2024 season will be on the road at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida. 

Until then, the organization gets ready to announce what’s next. The Savannah Bananas will be putting on their biggest show of the year on October 3rd. 

Along with entertainment, fireworks, and all-you-can-eat stadium food, the 2025 World Tour Draft will also be joined by the biggest announcements in Banana Ball history. 

Fans, we hope you’re ready.