Marietta softball fan shares unforgettable moment with Party Animals star at Savannah Bananas game

As the Savannah Bananas took on the Party Animals at Truist Park last weekend, fans of all ages and abilities filled the stands for a game they say makes everyone feel like they belong, including girls who see themselves in the players on the field. 

For one Marietta family, Banana Ball has become about much more than baseball; it's a community.

They came looking for a specific player and found something even bigger, a sense of belonging.

For 10-year-old Addie McAuley of Marietta, this was the moment she had been waiting years for. 

Addie is a softball player and has been a fan of Party Animals Player Ashton Lansdell, the team's sole female athlete, since watching her play SEC softball for Ole Miss. 

Lansdell is also from Marietta and is a Wheeler High School graduate.

"I went to a game where Ole Miss was playing Texas," Addie said, "and my dad was telling me how she is from Georgia, and I just started loving her ever since. I've gone to a lot of SEC games just hoping I could see her."

Addie has looked up to her not just as an athlete, but as a girl she sees herself in.

"I hope one day I can show her I can be where she's at," Addie told CBS News Atlanta.

On Sunday at Truist Park, her dream came true. 

Addie and her younger sister, Charlie, were brought down to the field to meet Lansdell in what could only be described as a picture-perfect moment.

It wouldn't have happened, however, without Tracey Phillipps.

Phillipps, also a Marietta native, is a member of the Banana's official K-Club, a group of dedicated fans who get exclusive perks and often travel across the country to watch Banana Ball.

She often brings her non-verbal special needs daughter to the games, and told us the environment has always felt welcoming and inclusive for their family.

"Banana Ball, fans first, always makes us feel special, like we do belong," Phillipps said. "We can dance and sing however we want to with no concern about what other people think."

One of the perks of being a K-Club member is early access to tickets.

Addie is the daughter of her friend, and Tracey, knowing about Addie's love for Lansdell, secured tickets for her and her family to Sunday's game.

It was their first Banana Ball game.

CBS News Atlanta also spoke with Lansdell, who told us that precious moments, such as meeting Addie and Charlie, are why she loves the game. 

"I'm just out here playing baseball, turning my dreams into reality, but the bigger picture is creating pathways and allowing girls to dream big and show them that their dreams of playing professional baseball as a girl can be real," Lansdell said. 

In their meeting, she told Addie, "Don't let anything stop you. You can do anything you set your mind to. You are your biggest supporter."

For Addie, Sunday was more than just a baseball game. She said it was proof that there is a place for girls like her in a sport she loves.