© Kim Klement-Imagn Images
The Rutgers baseball team hosted Bryant over the weekend in a three-game non-conference series. The Scarlet Knights resorted to trickery in search of a sweep.
The Bulldogs hit into an unorthodox double play in the top half of the seventh inning. Rutgers’ mind games duped its opponent.
The Scarlet Knights took the first two games of the set by a combined score of 20-3. Game 3 would be a bit closer.
Bryant hopped out to a 4-2 lead through their first four at-bats. Rutgers would close the gap in the fourth frame before knotting the score in the bottom of the fifth.
From there, the home team pulled out all the tricks as it looked to squeak out a win.
Rutgers baseball executed a perfect double play.
The Scarlet Knights got into some trouble in the top of the seventh inning. An error and a double put two runners on for the Bulldogs.
Bryant would go ahead on an RBI single. It had runners on the corners with one out, looking to do more damage.
It appeared they’d succeeded in adding another run on a sac fly to double their advantage. That would not be the case.
Batter Ellis Garcia skied a fly ball to centerfield. It looked deep enough to get the job done for the runner tagging from third base.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the first base runner was baited into a mistake.
Joey Erace 100000 IQ play 🤯🤯
He dekes the runner in motion and Peyton Bonds doubles him off at first to end the seventh! pic.twitter.com/jGOOexmrmP
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) March 8, 2026
The runner was moving on the pitch. He did not see the ball off the bat. Rutgers infielders faked as if they were turning a routine groundball double play. If froze the runner at second base.
Meanwhile, the centerfielder tracked to the flyball down to make the catch and relay back into first base. The inning ended with an 8-3 double play. The score stayed at 5-4.
Rutgers would be unable to overcome that deficit, losing the series finale by one run. That doesn’t take away from the craftiness of the play.