grand slam night for me!

By 6:51 PM, the boys of summer were taking the field for their 6th home stand.
By that time, I'd been at Grayson Stadium about twenty minutes.
My temperature was checked at the lone front gate, my Diet Coke, hotdogs, chicken sandwich, and potato chips had been garnered from the first base buffet, and I had located sufficient empty space for me and my snarling pack of alligators near the top of the stands.

This was my first game of 2020.
I had read the safety rules that the Savannah Bananas had posted on their website, of course.
Some fans had not, as shown by the two young men who tried to come right behind me at the entry, or the young people who got into the buffet line close on my heels.
No one from the Bananas staff redressed those people for their noncompliance.

The upper bleachers had ropes blocking off every other row, as they are very close; the box seats and the reserved seats did not.
The three women sitting near me were joined by five more about the time the Rise guy had finally been struck out on his second at-bat in the second inning.
I moved down to say hi to Man-nana Bruce (now done with his "Dough-nut! Dough-nut!" chanting).
I then went to find a new seat.

After a thwarted attempt at a bench along third-base (beat out by a long-legged man who had raced to beat me), I took over a fence-side table in the picnic area.
It was now the bottom of the third, with Bananas catcher Bill Leroy in his first at-bat.
He was man 9 in the batting order.
That means the home team was still scoreless, while the Lexington County Blowfish had posted three runs and had even loaded the bases in the first inning.

Loading the bases full of 'Fish came along again in the sixth inning - repeatedly!
Indeed, three times the Blowfish turned that wheel and cranked out more runs!
The Bananas went through two more pitchers before they got that third out, but the damage was done.
The visitors from South Carolina had racked up another six runs.
Meanwhile the 1480 fans saw none from the home guys.

By this time, I had settled in quite nicely, actually enjoying myself .
What a great relief!
I had so missed baseball.
I had so missed the smell of the cleat-torn clay and the sound of the ball as it smacked into a leather glove or against a wooden bat.
I had so missed the sky darkening to purple against those tall green Georgia pines.
I had so missed cheering on my boys of summer!

I was so relieved to finally be at a ball game that it mattered not who won.
The Blowfish had played excellent baseball, even scoring another three runs in the eighth inning.
Then the home team caught a break from the pitcher, finally loading the bases with Bananas!
"Grand slam!!!", I shouted, with the table near me catching my enthusiasm.
Bill Leroy's hit went into a glove, but the Bananas got their first run in!

On the second loading of bases in this round, shortstop Gabe Howell came up to bat.
I don't know if he could hear me shouting "Grand slam!", but word had traveled in with that run: a fan was keeping the faith!
And next thing I knew, Gabe was rounding third, right in front of me, to join the three his homer had taken to the plate with him!
Right place, right time!
i thank You, God!

My boys of summer were not done scoring yet in that inning!
After Gabe's grand slam, they started loading bases again, getting two men on - and in! - by the time newcomer Cole Frederick's home run soared over the left field wall!
Eight runs in the eighth inning!!!
That ended their run, though.
Alex Degen took the mound to keep the Blowfish from scoring in the ninth; they countered with Zach Iverson, their third baseman, who proved to be an excellent closer as he struck out the next three men on our home roster.
No worries!
As I texted to Christina and Scott, I had a marvelous night of baseball, with a grand slam included!
Even though the Bananas lost, 8 to 12, the game itself had been played magnificently by the Blowfish.
I made sure to tell those boys that, too, as I left the stadium, thanking them for coming.
(smile!)
Nice to see Jacob as I was heading for the parking lot.
We chatted briefly, but I'd been in the heat for four hours and was ready to head home...
with a smile on my face and a song in my heart...
and my face covering firmly in place once more.
(smile!)