By Tiffany Williams –
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Banana Ball came to Gillette Stadium Friday night.
And it did not arrive quietly.
There was history. Patriots star power. Trick plays. Walk-off home runs. A surprise Keith Urban concert.
And eventually, a Savannah Bananas victory.
The Savannah Bananas defeated the Loco Beach Coconuts, 6-2, in the opening game of Banana Ball’s debut weekend at Gillette Stadium, delivering the kind of unpredictable spectacle that has turned the sport into a national phenomenon.
Before the first pitch, Banana Ball had already made history.
The night featured the first-ever Banana Ball broadcast in Japanese, hosted by Taro Fukuda and Kenshi Sugiya.
Then New England got involved.
Patriots tight end Hunter Henry delivered the ceremonial first pitch — except in Banana Ball, this one counted.
Drake Fontenot took the mound for the Coconuts.
Four pitches later, the chaos had already started.
The Coconuts ripped off three trick plays almost immediately, giving the Gillette Stadium crowd an early taste of what Banana Ball was bringing to Foxborough.
Then the Bananas went to work.
Savannah took the second inning and jumped ahead 1-0.
But these are the Comeback Coconuts.
Grady Morgan responded in the third with a walk-off home run, pulling Loco Beach even at 1-1.
And baseball was only part of the show.
The Patriots Cheerleaders joined the Man-Nanas for a performance inside Gillette Stadium before the night delivered another massive surprise.
Keith Urban showed up.
The country music superstar performed a pop-up concert in the middle of the game alongside the Savannah Bananas and Loco Beach Coconuts, turning a night of Banana Ball into something far beyond a baseball game.
Then the battle resumed.
Savannah began creating separation and eventually built a 3-1 advantage. Another run from the Bananas was enough to take the seventh and increase the pressure on Loco Beach.
The Coconuts were not finished.
Jacob Bazala took the mound for Savannah in the eighth on his birthday.
Erik Ostberg ruined the celebration.
Ostberg blasted a walk-off home run, giving the Coconuts another point and keeping Loco Beach alive heading into the ninth.
Then the rules changed.
In Banana Ball, every run scored in the ninth inning counts as a point.
Savannah entered the inning with a two-point advantage.
Reese Alexiades made sure it stayed that way.
Alexiades launched a two-run home run, doubling the Bananas’ advantage and putting the Coconuts in a hole they could not escape.
Loco Beach had no answer.
Final: Savannah 6, Loco Beach 2.
The Bananas walked away with the first victory in Banana Ball history at Gillette Stadium.
The Coconuts walked away with one more chance.
Night two arrives Saturday at 7 p.m., when Loco Beach will try to battle back and earn a series split.
Savannah will be looking for something else.
A Foxborough sweep.