CLEMSON, S.C – The Savannah Bananas traveled to Clemson, South Carolina to battle the Clemson Tigers baseball team in a game of Banana Ball on Nov. 7. The Banana Ball All-Stars defeated the Tigers by a score of 4-1. This event marked the first time that the Bananas have ever faced off against a college team.
The game featured All-Stars from the Bananas as well as other banana ball teams such as the Fire Fighters and Party Animals. On the other side, were the Tigers managed by Head Coach Eric Bakich entering his third season at the helm. Bakich’s Clemson squad finished 44-16 last season and advanced to the NCAA Super Regional.
Banana Ball has swept the nation, as a derivative of baseball completely focused on the fan experience. With a unique set of rules, tricky plays, crowd participation while the game is ongoing, and constant music, Banana Ball continues to grow. The Bananas currently tour the country, playing a variety of different stadiums that even include MLB ballparks. The Bananas have even announced the Banana Ball Championship League, a competitive Banana Ball league that will start in 2026.
Banana Ball follows 11 core rules:
These are the eleven Rules of Banana Ball. Which is your favorite?🍌 pic.twitter.com/iSxBrzxKgQ
— Savannah Bananas (@TheSavBananas) February 22, 2024
The contest between the All-Stars and Tigers opened with the All-Stars winning the first two innings to go up 2-0. However, Clemson bounced back behind their home fans at Doug Kingsmore Stadium to win the third inning and cut the Bananas lead to one point after four innings and 50 minutes of play.
The teams tied the fourth and fifth innings with one run a piece so the game was still 2-1 in favor of the All-Stars. That was until the sixth inning when the Bananas walked off the inning to go up 3-1.
The Tigers now had pressure to win two out of the next three innings if they wanted to send the game into the 1 on 1 showdown tiebreaker, or win all three innings before the timer ran out to win the game outright.
In the bottom of the seventh inning the Bananas extended their lead to 4-1. That means that going into the ninth inning, the Tigers were down three runs. However, in the final inning of Banana Ball according to the rules, every single run counts as a point so Clemson was still in the game. The Bananas now had to focus on getting their final three outs. They made quick work of the three Clemson batters with a strikeout, a groundout to short, and then a strikeout swinging ended the game. The Bananas win the first game in the history of Banana Ball against a college team by a score of 4-1 on what was an awesome night packed full of fun at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Death Valley. The All-Stars will return to Clemson in April to play a game in Clemson’s Memorial Stadium.
The entire game is available for replay on the Banana Ball YouTube page.
