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A college baseball game in the state of Texas ended in controversy on Monday night after a contentious final play. A defender’s premature celebration allowed a winning run to score with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Chaos ensued.
The matchup was played between McLennan Community College and Seminole State College. The two sides went back and forth for much of the evening.
McLennan is a two-year school located in Waco, TX that currently serves around 9,000 students. The baseball program was started in 1965. Some former players include Jay Buhner, Craig McMurtry, and current Rangers reliever Chris Martin.
Seminole State is located in Seminole, OK and home to players like Adam LaRoche and Kelly Stinnett. The cross-state rivals matched up in a thriller this week in Dallas.
McLennan played host as the sides faced off on the Dallas Baptist University campus. The Seminole State Trojans took an early 3-0 lead before watching the Highlanders score six runs over their next two at-bats. The score was evened in the top of the fifth inning thanks to a three-run outburst by visitors.
The squads continued to trade blows over the next few innings before the Highlanders took their final at-bat. McLennan trailed 11-9 in the bottom of the ninth. They got to within in a run before appearing to ground into a game-ending double play.
McLennan won the college baseball game after a premature celebration.
McClane Helton hit a dribbler to first base with the bases loaded. The defender fielded the grounder, threw home for the force, and returned to the bag to catch the return relay at first.
Both throws beat the runners. The game should’ve been over. The umpire at home, however, ruled that the catcher’s foot was off the plate. He called the runner safe. The game was tied at 11-11.
Believing that the game was over, the first baseman spiked the (still live) ball in celebration. The winning run quickly came around to score.
Monday night chaos. @mccbaseball1 pic.twitter.com/ol44opQnS5
— John G (@JDG_Media) March 4, 2025
The Trojans stormed onto the field thinking they’d landed the win. The celebratory spike landed in the hands of a teammate running out from the dugout. Excitement soon turned to disgust after hearing the umpire’s ruling.
Popular baseball personality JomBoy provided a breakdown of the play on his X account. It fully captured the roller coaster of emotions on each side.
Seminole State went from victory to defeat in a split-second. McLennan improved to 10-2 with the unexpected win. There are few things more dramatic than college baseball!