Hawaii Baseball Player Nearly Decapitated While Stealing Home During Walk-Off Balk In 13th Inning

Hawaii outfielder Jared Quandt was nearly decapitated by his own teammate during the 13th inning of an instant classic college baseball game on late Monday night early Tuesday morning. A controversial walk-off balk came just inches from disaster as the fifth-year senior tried to steal home.

It was the most chaotic sequence of the year.

Hawaii gave up an early 1-0 lead to U.C. Davis in the top of the first inning. The score held until the bottom of the seventh when the Rainbow Warriors got one back. The college baseball game was tied at 1 through the top of the 13th inning. Neither team could break through to score a run.

Hawaii got back up to bat in the bottom of the 13th. Quandt reached on a nine-pitch leadoff walk. However, a fly out and a strikeout quickly left the Warriors with two outs and one runner on. They added a second and third runner with a single to left field and an intentional walk.

What happened next was wild.

Freshman catcher David Vergel de Dios stepped into the box. The bases were juiced with two outs. The game was tied 1-1. He immediately went down 0-2.

Quandt, on third base, broke for home on the third pitch of Vergel de Dios’ at-bat. I don’t know if he was trying to steal home or if it was an attempted hit-and-run or what. I would imagine that it was the former, because of the near-catastrophe that almost resulted in a very serious injury for the runner.

Vergel de Dios decided to swing at the pitch and fouled one off. In doing so, his bat came extremely close to the head of Quandt, who was also almost hit by the foul ball. He came close to losing his noggin!

Even though the foul ball would normally negate the pitch with two strikes, the home plate umpire called a balk on the Aggies’ pitcher. Quandt was awarded the base, the run scored, the game was over.