Banana Ball – Wilmington – Texas Tailgaters vs Loco Beach Coconuts
Over the weekend my initial plans were to get a new Hanson state and head to West Virginia to see them. However, none of my friends were able to join me and I wasn’t feeling up to making the trek there alone. I decided if I was going to do something solo, why not head to Loco Beach? I ended up pulling a ticket up for resale that was front row behind home plate which solidified my plans, but then I had to find something for Friday as well, which I did and made the drive down to Wilmington staying at a hotel across the street from the field.
Due to traffic I got to the hotel around 2, checked in, and then hopped in line for the plaza party. I had a few Tailgaters to track down for my project, so I said hey to some of the Coconuts and waited for the Tailgaters to come out. I managed to find all of them but 2 but was getting majorly overheated so I found a spot somewhat shaded to sit in. I was going to get some water, but it seemed like they sold out outside of the stadium so I had to wait until we got inside. I had my seat moved to an ADA seat, found a vendor selling water and hot dogs with no line and settled in for the game.
Coconuts took an early lead in the 2nd, scored again in the 3rd, 4th and 6th. Tailgaters were held scoreless until the 7th, but did end up getting the equalizer point. Coconuts ended up winning 4-2, with Tanner Allen hitting a home run. I later found out that he had used Kyle Martin’s bat thinking that it would be “too big” for him, but turned out it had some magic in it. While looking around I noticed there were no railings to my seat for Saturday so I had to figure out what to do. Jordan Brewer said he’d help me out if I needed to. I ended up finding the rest of my tailgaters, all 3 mascots and a few others for good measure before heading back to the room to watch Party Animals / Firefighters and then Bananas / Clowns which had gotten so rain delayed I was able to have a triple header.
Saturday I tried to get in line early, so I could talk to Ticket Help and see what my options were. They told me to talk to Guest Services when I got inside, and Jordan told me he’d give them a heads up. I opted to sit in the shade much sooner than the day before and also got myself water before they sold out (although they seemed to have a lot more at the ready!). I headed inside and went to Guest Services and explained my dilemma – I wanted to sit in my seat but without railings I’d need a hand getting there. It was not a problem at all and they called a staffer who walked me down to my seat and told me to let him know if I needed anything, even snacks during the game. There was a lot of drama near home plate so I had a great spot!
The Tailgaters took a quick 1-0 lead in the 1st, JD Urso fouled out to a fan in the 2nd, Tailgaters got another point in the 3rd, with the Coconuts scoring their first run in the 4th. Tailgaters scored another in the 6th, Coconuts in the 7th and 8th tying it up at 3-3. Gideon Antle fouled out to a fan in the 9th and we were heading to showdowns! The first Tailgaters batter got hit by a pitch which put a runner on second and he scored easily when the ball was hit to the wall by Lopez. I did not realize you can only score 1 run in these rounds, so I was confused why they weren’t really hustling to get the 2nd runner. Tanner Allen took the at bat for the Coconuts and ended up being out – Tailgaters were victorious with a final score 4-3.
Afterwards I wasn’t feeling too great so I only stopped to see a couple of the players before heading back to the hotel to relax and watch the Party Animals. While that game was going on, I was texting with a friend at the Banana / Clowns game and she informed me that they were in their FIFTH round of showdowns – with the Clowns eventually being victorious. How exciting!
Next week I’ll to it all again with the Tailgaters and this time the Clowns in OKC!