Summer at Grayson Stadium

It was a fun season attending the Savannah Bananas baseball games at Grayson Stadium. More than 90,000 fans attended the games setting records and there were 18 sell outs. 

One reason for the successful attendance records set this summer, was the excellant services by waitresses, ushers, and staff members. Staff had the mind set to make sure fans had a great experience every time they attended a game. Fans got to watch great baseball and were entertained between innings.

With the highly successful first season, fans are looking forward to an exciting season in 2017.

Savannah Bananas 2016 Championship trophy(CPL Petitt Cup).

Bananas win CPL Petitt Cup Championship

Congratulations to the Savannah Bananas winning the 2016 CPL Petitt Cup Championship Tuesday evening defeating the Peninsula Pilots 9-7 at Hampton, Va. It was a tremendous season for the first year team, with 18 sell outs, setting a record in attendance with over 90,000 fans, and finished with a record of 34-21.
Thanks to all the coaches and players for their contributions for my articles to publish on my blog.
I would like to thank the Savannah Bananas owners, Jesse and Emily Cole for providing me with a press pass to attend all home games to write my stories.
Look forward to another great season next year.

Savannah Bananas 8 Peninsula Pilots 4

The first game of the CPL Petitt Cup Championship series between the West  #1 seed Savannah Bananas and the East #1 seed Peninsula Pilots was played Sunday evening at Grayson Stadium in front of cheering crowd(2,467).
Excellant defense, timely hitting, and good pitching enabled Savannah to win the first game of the best two out of three game series, 8-4.
Peninsula got off to a fast start in the first inning. Will Shephard,rf(Liberty University) led off the game with a double and scored on a double by Kurt Sinnen,dh(Old Dominion). A sac fly by Darian Carpenter,1b(VCU) scored Sinnen.
Leading off the first inning for Savannah, Clay Dungan2b(Indiana State) hit a home run over the right field fence, his 4th home run for the season.
In the 5th inning Savannah scored 3 runs. Catcher Adam Gauthier(Dartmouth) singled and went to second when Jeff Nellis,ss(Cal State Long Beach) walked. Duncan singled to score the first run. Clint Hardy,rf(Augusta University) drove in 2 runs with a double.
Sending 8 players to the plate in the 6th inning, the Bananas scored 4 runs on 4 hits, and 2 errors.
Making it interesting in the 9th inning, Peninsula had the bases loaded and scored 2 runs on a single by Sinnen(he had 3 RBI's for the game.)
After giving up 2 runs in the first, Savannah starter Colby Weaver(Dallas Baptist) settled in, pitching 6 1/3 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, 6K's,  and 3BB. With the win his record is 5-0. Reliever Paul Kirpatrick(Western Kentucky) finished the game allowed 2 runs on 5 hits, 1BB, and 1 strike out.
The second game of the Championship will be played tomorrow evening at Peninsula ( Hampton, Va.) and if game 3 is necessary it will be played Tuesday evening at Peninsula.

                                Clay Dungan was 2-for-4 with 3RBI's and 3 runs scored

                                                 Clint Hardy was 2-for-4  with 3 RBI's

Championship Series

The Savannah Bananas host the Peninsula Pilots in game one of the best two-of- three Championship Series starting at 7:00pm Sunday at Grayson Stadium. Bananas pitching coach, Lendsey Thomson informed me that Colby Weaver is "penciled in" to start the game. Weaver has made 7 starts and his record is 4-0 with a 2.47 ERA. Appearing in 40 innings,  he has 35 K's. Opponents batting average is .171. He has no saves.

Savannah Bananas 2 Forest City Owls 0

The second round of the PCL Western Division Championship between the #1 seed the Savannah Bananas and the #2 seed the Forest City Owls was played Friday evening at Grayson Stadium in front of a good crowd(3,746).
Fans saw great pitching performances from both starting pitchers as their was no score until the bottom of the 8th inning. Both teams had 5 hits for the game. Savannah won 2-0 to win the West Division Championship.
In the 8th inning for Savannah, Clint Hardy,rf(Augusta University) singled followed by a home run, down the right field line hitting  the foul pole, by Jameson Hannah,dh(Dallas Baptist) for the 2-0 lead.
Bananas reliever, Paul Kirkpatrick(Western Kentucky) pitched the 9th inning and recorded his first save. He allowed 1 hit and the game ended with a double play.
Starting pitcher for Savannah, Ryan Flores, was brilliant pitching a shutout for 8 innings, allowed 4 hits, walked 1 and recorded 10 strike outs. His record is now 5-0. After the game I talked with Flores and he said"all of my pitches were working." He reports "I am signing as a free agent with the New York Yankees."
Forest City pitcher, Ethan Carpenter(Tusculum College) pitched 7 shutout innings allowing 3 hits, 2 BB and 4 K's.
Savannah has reached the Championship Series which is the best two-out- three games to win the CPL Petitt Cup Championship. On Sunday Savannah will host the East Division Champions the #1 seed Peninsula Pilots with first pitch at 7:00pm at Grayson Stadium. Game 2 will be on Monday at Peninsula and game 3, if necessary,  will be played on Tuesday at Peninsula.

                                            Ryan Flores with the win is 5-0 for the season.

                                            Jameson Hannah's home run in the 8th won the game.

Bananas play the Owls tonight

The Savannah Bananas play the Forest City Owls tonight at 7:00 pm at Grayson Stadium for the CPL Western Division Championship. Starting pitcher for Savannah, Ryan Flores. Starting the season, Flores was a reliever, but has 5 starts to his credit and his record is 4-0. He has struck out 42 batters in 36.2 innings pitched. Flores has 5 saves. Opponents batting average is a meager .212. His ERA is 2.21.

Savannah Bananas 3 Asheboro Copperheads 2

The first game of the CPL playoffs between the #1 seed the Savannah Bananas and the #4 seed the Asheboro Copperheads was played Wednesday evening at Grayson Stadium in front of a sold out crowd(4,021). Fans saw an exciting finish.
With the score tied at 2-2 after 8 innings, Savannah scored the winning run in the 9th inning to continue playing in the playoffs on Friday.
Asheboro scored 2 runs in the 2nd inning on 3 hits. Connor Lind,1b(Northwestern) doubled and scored on a double by Deivy Palmeiro,rf(Faulkner). A single by ctcher Joe Sabatini(Baylor) scored the second run.
In the 7th inning, Savannah loaded the bases on a hit batter and 2 walks. Jameson Hannah,dh(Dallas Baptist) singled to drive in 2 runs .
Leading off the 9th inning for the Bananas, Jeff Nellis,ss(Cal State Long Beach) was hit by a pitch- he was hit 3 consecutive times. A sac bunt by Clay Dungan,2b(Indiana State)advanced the runner to second and Nellis' alert base running went to third base when he saw no player was covering 3rd base. A base hit by Clint Hardy,rf(Augusta University) drove in the winning run. The first walk off victory.

Savannah starter Beau Sulser(Darthmouth) pitched a jewel for his final game for the Bananas this summer as he has exceeded his pitch count. Sulser pitched a complete game allowed 2 runs on 5 hits, walked 2 and struck out 11 batters to finish the season at 4-1. After the game I talked to Sulser about his outing and he said, "every pitch worked well except for my curveball" He had great control. In the 1st and 5th innings he struck out the side.
The Bananas had 8 hits for the game. Getting 2 hits each:Hardy, Hannah, and Christian Hollie,lf(UTA)
Savannah returns to Grayson Stadium Friday at 7:00pm to continue the playoffs and play the # 2 seed the Forest City Owls.

                                        Clint Hardy drives in the winning run in the 9th inning
                                                 Beau Sulser pitched 9 innings and recorded 11 K's

Banana stats

It has been a successful season for the Savannah Bananas and hopefully it continues into the playoffs. The team won 30 games and lost 20 games The Bananas earned the #1 seed in the playoffs starting Wednesday at Grayson Stadium starting at 7:00pm against the #4 seed the Asheboro Copperheads.
CPL League Leaders for the season:
Team Batting: Savannah tied for #1 with Peninsula .303
Team pitching: Savannah  2nd 3.56 ERA
Team Fielding: Savannah 2nd .967%
Individual Batting: 2nd Jameson Hannah .374
                               3rd Clint Hardy .364
Individual pitching: 1st lowest ERA 1.21 Beau Sulser
Triples: tied for 1st Clint Hardy 4
Congratulations to the players and coaches for a winning season.

Bananas first playoff game

The Savannah Bananas(#1seed)play their first playoff game August 10th, Wednesday at 7:00 pm at Grayson Stadium against the #4 seed Asheboro Copperheads.
Beau Sulser informed me he will be the starting pitcher Wednesday.
Normally a starter (5 starts), Sulser has been pitching out of the bull pen as a reliever lately to shut down the other teams and to preserve the win. He has 4 saves.
It has been a successful summer for Sulser. He has pitched 44.2 innings and recorded 51 strikeouts. His record is 3-1 and he has a 1.21 ERA. Opponents batting average is a paltry .167.

Savannah Bananas 5 Florence RedWolves 2

The final game of the regular season was played between the Savannah Bananas and the Florence RedWolves Saturday evening at Grayson Stadium in front of a sold out crowd which was the largest this season(4,329). Seventeen home games were sold out. It was announced that Savannah set a new CPL attendance record for a season with over 80,000 fans attending games at Grayson Stadium. Savannah is a # 1 seed which allows them to play the first playoff game at home Wednesday and play at home Friday if they win.
Once again Savannah played good defense, had timely hitting, and solid pitching to win 5-2.
Savannah wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the first inning scoring 2 runs. Jameson Hannah,dh(Dallas Baptist) singled and scored on a triple by Garrett Nelson,1b(Long Beach State). A single by Rylan Bannon,3b(Xavier) drove in the second run.
Florence scored a run in the 5th inning. Kody Ruedisili,lf(Wofford College) singled and stole second base. A throwing error by the pitcher allowed Ruedisili to score from second base.
The RedWolves scored their final run in the 7th inning.
With the bases loaded in the 7th inning for Savannah, Nick Chourby,cf(Texas A&M) walked scoring a run. Pinch hitter Christian Hollie(UTA) drove in 2 runs with a single.
Savannah had 10 hits for the game. Clint Hardy,rf(Augusta University) was 2-for-3 and made a great catch in deep right field near the fence.
Starting Savannah pitcher, Colby Weaver,(Dallas Baptist) pitched 6 1/3 innings allowed 2 runs on 5 hits, 4 K's and 1 BB. Reliever Beau Sulser(Darmouth College) finished the game striking out 5 batters and allowed 2 hits. With the win, Sulser is 3-1.
The playoff game starts Wednesday,  August 10th at 7:00pm at Grayson Stadium. The playoff opponent from the Eastern Division has yet to be determined.

Pinch hitter Christian Hollie drove in 2 runs with a clutch single.

Savannah Bananas 4 Morehead City Marlins 0

The Savannah Bananas played the Morehead City Marlins Thursday evening at Grayson Stadium in front of a sold out crowd(4,276) CPL reports it was the largest crowd this season. . It was announced that 16 home games have been sold out.
Savannah utilized strong pitching, solid defense and timely hitting to win 4-0. The Bananas have an eight game winning streak and are peaking at the right  time getting ready for their first playoff game August 10th at Grayson Syadium.
In the first inning, Savannah took a 1-0 lead on a home run by Clint Hardy,rf(Augusta University) over the left field fence, his 4th home run of the season.
The Bananas scored their 2nd run in the 6th inning. Jameson Hannah,dh(Dallas Baptist) singled and advanced to third on a double by Angel Camacho,1b(Jacksonville). An intentional walk loaded the bases and Hannah scored on a sac fly by Christian Hollie,lf(UTA).
Savannah closed out their scoring in the 8th inning highlited by a single by Nick Chourby,cf(Texas A&M) driving in 2 runs.
With the win, starting Savannah pitcher Ryan Flores is 4-0 and lowered his ERA to 2.21. He pitched 7 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits, walked 4 batters and had 10 strikeouts. Flores recorded at least 1 strikeout in every inning he pitched. When I asked him about his performance he stated, "My fastball, curve ball, and slider were all working"
The fielding play of the game occurred in the 3rd inning when Savannah left fielder Hollie caught a ball with his back near the fence. He stated if he did not catch the ball, "it would probably hit on the top of the fence and fall over the fence for a home run".
The Savannah bull pen, Jesse Bogacz(Kenyon College) and Beau Sulser(Dartmouth College)pitched the last 2 innings and did not give up a hit.
The next home game for Savannah is Saturday, August 6th against the Florence RedWolves starting at 7:00pm at Grayson Stadium. This game is sold out.