Savannah rain lets up, Visitors belt out, KJ steals the show down.
July 13, 2025: The Visitors 2(7) ~ Savannah Bananas 4(4) (SD2)
For the past few days, the skies over Savannah have not been too friendly to Banana Ball. Not only did it result in a game postponement and an outright cancellation between the Bananas and The Visitors, it also created issues with the Banana Ball Youth Camp that was taking place this past week. The crazy weather caused, as discussed by Party Animal Garrett Delano in a live stream, complications in the scheduling of events. The word at the time was that the championship game for the Youth Tournament that was supposed to take place on Sunday at 3PM was cancelled in advance and that those who attended were going to be given a nice send off in the morning at Grayson. We have not received confirmation of what actual events transpired on Sunday.
Rain and nearby thunderstorms would also impact Sunday night’s game between the Savannah Bananas and the development team, The Visitors. This was originally the game that was scheduled for last Thursday. This is also the first Banana Ball game played in Historic Grayson Stadium on a Sunday night. Finally, just after 8PM on a Savannah Sunday night, the Young Professor led the 5,000 people in Grayson to say the words that everyone on both the YouTube and K Club chats had been waiting to hear for the past couple of days…
START THE CLOCK!
The Bananas start with Kyle Luigs. Peyton Chatagnier and Jordan Brewer would get single base hits out to left. Dalton Reeves would then bounce one towards second baseman Jackson Olson who (without touching it) kicked the ball to shortstop Ryan Cox, then to Corelle Prime for the 4-6-3 double play. Luigs would strike out Ashby Vining to end the top. The bottom of the first would start for the Nanners with D.R. Meadows hitting back to pitcher Brett Sanchez tossed it between the legs to J.D. Urso to get the trick play out. We are scoreless after 1.
Bottom of the second, Ryan Cox leads off with an infield single that could not be handled by Lukas Cook. Malachi Mitchell in to pinch run. Robert Anthony Cruz would get hit on the first pitch to him from Sanchez. Runners on first and second. Eric Jones Jr. would hit a base hit out to left, loading the bases for Danny Hosley. Hosley would sac fly out to center bringing in Mitchell for the inning winning run. Bananas up 1-0.
Top of the third, Tyner Hughes starts with an infield single. Ryan Kellogg would come into relieve Luigs. Patrick Baggett would hit into a Ryan Cox fielder’s choice trick play getting Hughes at second but not in time for Baggett at first. This is the glove magician’s 130th trick play in the tour. Top of the order and Peyton Chatagnier would bang one out to left center bringing in two runs. This is Chatagnier’s second HR this season. Jordan Brewer would then get on with a ball four sprint and then the DH Ashby Vining would hit the second homer of the inning out to center bringing in another two. Bottom of the third and Connor Harris now in to pitch, delivers a strikeout to Jackson Olson. D.R. Meadows would reach third on an Ashby Vining missed glove tip trick play. K.J. Jackson would pop to center bringing Meadows home. I would not be enough and the Visitors win the inning. The rain was very visible during this inning.
In the top of the fifth, a single by Jordan Brewer, Dalton Reeves being plunked and Ashby Vining getting on from a Ryan Cox trick play missed would load the bases for the Visitors. A ball four sprint to Brian Dansereau would bring them all three of them in. A glove flip trick play by Dalton Mauldin will end the frame. In the bottom, a lead off double out to right by Robert Anthony Cruz would be followed up by an RBI single by Danny Hosley bringing RAC home. It would not be enough and the Visitors win another inning.
In the sixth inning, the Bananas would pick up another point after back to back ball four sprints by Bradley Wilson to K.J. Jackson and Dan Oberst. This ties up the points again at 2 each and it will stay that way until the end of the 9th inning. In other words, showdowns! In the second showdown with just the pictcher and the catcher, the Bananas K. J. Jackson hits out to right center sealing the victory for the boys in yellow. On his way around the bases, Jackson started to strip off his Bananas jersey showing a Visitors undershirt as a tribute to his beginnings in Banana Ball playing on the developmental team.
Final score: The Visitors 2(7) ~ Savannah Bananas 4(4) (SD2). The Visitors had 3 trick plays and the Bananas, 15. Kyle Jackson was declared showman of the night.
This is the final game this season for the Visitors. They will continue to be back in development, but facing the Bananas was the ultimate test of their development. As we saw tonight with jacks from Peyton Chatagnier and Ashby Vining, there are many hopefuls coming up and especially with six teams and the Banana Ball Championship League coming in 2026, the names you read about tonight could be the ones that will make the headlines next year.
The Bananas are going to Busch Stadium in St. Louis to take on the Party Animals on July 18 and 19. These are make-up games from earlier this year. This will also be your last chance to see the Bananas take on the Party Animals until the Championship Series in October.
Additional credit: official scoresheets from Josh Talevski (X: @JoshTalevski)