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A high school baseball game ended in wild fashion this weekend as a premature championship celebration went horribly wrong. The bizarre scene unfolded in New York during a matchup between the Palmyra-Macedon and Hornell.
After striking out a Pal-Mac batter, Hornell appeared to wrap up the Section V Class B1 crown. Unfortunately, the catcher forgot to tag the hitter after dropping the third strike.
The result was truly crushing defeat.
Hornell led by one run in the bottom of the final frame, and it appeared to successfully end the game with a strikeout of a Pal-Mac batter. The catcher dropped that third strike, however, and rather than throw down to first base to record the out, players began to celebrate.
With the ball still live, Pal-Mac baserunners continued to circle the basepaths with a pair of players crossing the plate. With the two surprising runs being added to the scoreboard, Hornell’s late lead would disappear.
Pal-Mac won the game, 6-5, to take home the championship.
Championship ends with two runs scoring on a dropped strike three while the other team is celebrating thinking they won.
Brutal pic.twitter.com/zL8eBsxMvS
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) May 28, 2023
Many baseball fans online quickly reacted to the high school championship scene, posting their replies on social media.
One person hilariously wrote, “Hey, on the positive, both teams got to celebrate a championship so there are no losers here.”
Someone else said, “This is a rule you should know starting in like the fourth grade.”
While it could be considered controversial, the Hornell coach chose not to argue with the outcome. He told why in a response after the game.
“I blame myself a little. Maybe I could have gone out and argued it was a dead ball and kept the runner on third and said, ‘Hey it’s tied now, put the runner on third and make them beat us,’ but we can’t blame the umpires, everyone is running on the field and I’m not sure they knew how to handle it either.”
What an unfortunate way to end the high school baseball season.