Lexington County Blowfish drop both halves of Savannah Bananas doubleheader
Visitors from Georgia coast dominate first contest, second game more of a struggle
Lexington, SC (James Bowers) - The Lexington County Blowfish and the Savannah Bananas were set to play a proper nine-inning ballgame on Thursday evening, but mother nature had other ideas. The resulting rainout necessitated a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. The weather at the time of the 5:00 p.m. first pitch Saturday was the beautiful opposite of that encountered on Thursday. The field was washed in sunshine as the first of two seven-inning contests got underway.
The first game was one the Blowfish would like to forget. Their batters could not muster anything, picking up four runs and only scoring in the final inning. By that point, they trailed 11-0 and Banana players were crossing home plate with ease against the struggling Lexington County pitchers. Marshall McDonald’s Fish had no time to dwell on the defeat, they had another game in 30 minutes.
Once game two got underway, the first inning was far kinder to the home squad as the Savannah hitters all flied out in succession. Though the Blowfish also failed to produce in the first inning, they were able to keep the Nanners off the board in the second. The home side of that frame saw the Fish get on the board first. A pair of botched exchanges between Savannah pitcher Garret Delano and catcher Connor Hamilton sent Blowfish shortstop Cole Tate to third base. Sean Parsons grounded out, giving Tate a chance to score. This allowed Lexington County to carry a 1-0 lead out of the second inning. The Blowfish crowd became even more enthused when the Bananas didn’t pick up any runs in the third. Unfortunately, neither did the Blowfish.
It was the fourth inning when the game began to turn against the home squad. Savannah’s Jake Sullivan was able to get on first when an umpire judged that Blowfish first baseman Mac MacCurdy made an error. Coach Marshall McDonald did not agree, and he loudly lambasted the official at the pitcher’s mound. The ump took great offense to his tirade and McDonald sat out the rest of the contest as a result of his protest to the chagrin of the home crowd. Later in the side, a pair of walks loaded the bases and then disaster struck when a wild pitch by Parker Coyne sent Sullivan home. A groundout by the next batter put T. Thomas across home plate to tie things at two. A passed ball scored Connor Hamlton, and gave the Bananas a 3-2 lead. The Blowfish were unable to answer, and Savannah added to its lead when a Lexington County error and a stolen base by Ruben Somellian set up scores by Trenton Nash and Somellian. Neither team produced anything else in the sixth and seventh innings. When the clock ran out, the final score 5-2 in Savannah’s favor. The Blowfish now fall to 8-16 on the year with the loss. The Savannah Bananas continue to lead the Coastal Plain League’s Southern Division with a 19-7 record.
The Blowfish will travel to Gastonia Sunday to face the Grizzlies. They will then have a two game homestand, playing the High Point-Thomasville High-Toms on July 3, and the Florence RedWolves on July 3.
Blowfish vs. Bananas Blowfish vs. Bananas Blowfish vs. Bananas
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