stars lit up grayson field

I realize that I've given away
the ending of this exhibition game with the Carolina-Virginia Summer League team by posting this photo, but so be it.
The Catawba Valley Stars won the match fair and square and were a mighty fine team to watch in action.
Sure, I had expected some very lovely designs on the jerseys to go with their name...
but I got a good game of baseball and that's what counts!

How had they even come to be in Savannah today?
Well, the Bananas had set up this date to make-up a rained-out game against the Florence Redwolves. Earlier this month, they realized that would not work and the game was finished in Florence.
Meanwhile, the 4000-plus local fans were still expecting either a ballgame... or refunds.
So a ballgame is what we received! (smile)

Perhaps the visitors wondered if the more-heavenly
stars might not have been quite aligned enough.
In the very first inning, they found the bases
filled with Bananas - oh, my!
What to do, what to do?
Well, the first thing they did was change pitchers.
Yep, right in the middle of the first inning.
(I hope Coach Gillum was taking notes.)

That expeditious switch from Puente to Jarvis did
the trick for them.
Langston Provitt was able to cross home plate, thanks
to Austin Thompson, but his run was the only one made
that inning.
Actually, that was the only run the Bananas made, as
the team fronted mostly new players tonight.
(Yes, the Savannah fans noticed that line-up change.)

For the next few innings, nothing came together on
the field for either team.
Then, enter the fifth inning.
This time, the bases were filled with Stars early on,
and stayed that way for a full five minutes.
It was beginning to look as if Brent Faber, Michael Schoettmer, and Dylan Procopio might be destined to
be stranded out there.

Tanner Branden had scored on Procopio's single, so at least the inning wouldn't be scoreless.
And then came a shift in their destiny.
With one out, the sixth Star - Bo Peltier - stepped into the batter's box.
Soon, he was racing to second base... and the Stars on base had safely landed at home, stranded no longer!

The Stars would go on to score again, in the sixth inning, when Luis Ezra came in for their fifth run.
That was the last run scored by either team.
The home team just couldn't make it across home plate.
The ninth inning provided a last opportunity.
Trenton Nash, one of the new boys of summer, was first at bat and hit a solid triple - wow!
And there he stayed, unable to get a way off that bag.

I'm so glad my youngest brother and his lovely wife
were there tonight!
There had been quite a few folks, probably out-of-
towners, who had opted for refunds, so that opened
up seats for purchase - hooray!
That was how they had been able to be there!
I really do enjoy talking baseball with Dood and Laura!

Not that I don't also enjoy doing that with Mister
Willie, but I have ample opportunity to do that with
him on a regular basis.
Speaking of regular, here's that "sexy sax" man!
He was the only member of the Pep Band who was here
for this game.
No Banana-Nanas were there, neither.

Nor were the Man-Nanas present.
(Isn't this a fabulous photo of them?)
The Dancing First-Base Coach, Maceo, was absent, but Alex Degen tried to keep the groove alive there.
The most glaring absence, though, was that of the Man in the Yellow Tux, who left in his stead someone channeling their inner Elton John.
That was okay... I was there for the baseball game...
and I definitely got what I came for.
(smile)