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A high school baseball team landed a State Championship win when an umpire ruled catcher’s obstruction on the final play of the game. While the baserunner was beaten easily by the relay throw, officials deemed the catcher’s position to be impeditive of the baserunner’s path to the plate.
That final call awarded the home team the winning run, resulting in a walk-off victory. Chaos quickly ensued in what many called an “Ump Show.”
The controversial ruling came at the end of a South Carolina State Playoff meeting between the Hanahan Hawks and Powdersville Patriots. The game produced a back-and-forth battle that saw each side exchange late leads before heading into extra innings.
Powdersville led 3-2 before Hanahan plated a pair of runs in the seventh to take a 4-3 lead. The Patriots were then able to tie things up at 4-4 in their final at-bat to force extra play.
The foes would be held scoreless over the next five frames, taking the ballgame into the 12th inning. Then, controversy.
In the bottom half of the inning, Powdersville stepped up to the plate. With a runner on, a Patriot hitter slapped a single into the outfield grass. Coaches waved the runner around third where he was met by the Hanahan catcher, ball in hand.
The baserunner was tagged out easily, seemingly to send the game to the 13th frame, but the umpire behind the plate had a different view of the play.
High school baseball game ends in controversial fashion.
Powdersville wins it on an interference at the plate after a single in the 12th inning and we head to Game 3 for the 3A State Championship. #Road2🏆 @Baseball_PVHS @BaseballHanahan pic.twitter.com/7LSWLyn9a1
— Prep Baseball South Carolina (@PBR_SC) May 23, 2024
Initially, Hanahan players celebrated about having thrown the runner out. The ball beat the Powdersville player by a mile, giving the Hawks’ catcher plenty of time to corral the throw and make the tag.
That attitude quickly changed when the umpire ruled that the catcher had impeded the runner’s path to home plate by standing in the baseline before having the ball.
The apparent out was flipped to a safely scored run, awarding Powdersville the win!
Another view of the play can be seen at the end of this clip:
12 innings, it comes down to one call. Look and see for yourselves. Powdersville walks it off against Hanahan to take Game 2, 5-4.
Certainly not one that the Hawks are happy about.
Game 3, the decider, in Gilbert on Saturday.
LG’s on the Creek- rockin’ for this one. pic.twitter.com/RLKpGozbid
— Scott Eisberg (@SEisbergWCIV) May 23, 2024
Choas followed as both Hanahan players and coaches got into the face of the home plate blue, arguing their case as to why the call was incorrect. Those complaints would be made in vain as the ruling stood.
The obstruction rule is one that’s been criticized all the way up to the Major League level this season, with many believing it to be a judgement call.
The definition from the official MLB rulebook:
Obstruction describes an act by a fielder, who is not in possession of the ball or in the process of fielding it, that impedes the baserunner’s progress.
If a play is being made on the obstructed baserunner, the ball is ruled dead and the umpire can place all runners on the base he determines they would have reached without the obstruction. If no play is being made on the obstructed runner, the umpire will allow the play to progress until its natural conclusion and then impose any penalties he sees fit to nullify the act of obstruction.
A similar result occurred in a recent PAC 12 softball game on what appeared to be nearly the exact same play. In that case, the umpires had the benefit of replay. That’s not the case at the high school baseball level!
Luckily for Hanahan, its season’s not done quite yet. This matchup was the second in a three-game State Championship set, with the Hawks having won the series opener.
A winner-take-all matchup will now decide the South Carolina 3A champs!