Sports

Umpire Mercilessly Booed For Cartoonish Interference That Cost Clemson Baseball

#clemson tigers
by

ACC Network / ESPN


The Clemson baseball team fell to instate foe Coastal Carolina in midweek action on Wednesday. An umpire interference led to a big inning for the Chants.

The mishap came with two outs in the top of the seventh frame. It proved costly for the Tigers.

In a non-conference matchup between a pair of NCAA Tournament contenders, Clemson hosted Coastal Carolina at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The home crowd would leave angry. Fans voiced their displeasure to an umpire in the form of a flood of boos.

Clemson lost a baseball game it should’ve won.

The Tigers jumped out to a big lead on the defending national runners-up. The Chants struck first with three runs in their first at-bat. It was all Clemson after that.

The home team scored nine runs over the next six frames. They led 9-3 entering the seventh. Coastal cut the deficit to 9-5 in the at-bat.

Clemson appeared to get out a jam in the top half of the inning with a pop up on the infield. An unexpected umpire interference proved costly.

The Chanticleers had the bases loaded with two outs in the frame. The Tigers forced what could’ve been an inning-ending pop up in shallow right field.

As first baseman Jack Crighton tracked the flyball, he got tangled up with an official. It resulted in a two-run single. Coastal Carolina would add another run to make the score 9-8 before the inning came to a close.

Those three runs would prove to be the difference in the game. The Chants added three more runs over the next two innings to win, 11-9.

Had Clemson been able to make the play, it would’ve gone into the bottom of the seventh with a strong 9-5 advantage. Instead, it found itself back in a dog fight.

Erik Bakich took blame.

“We didn’t lose because of the umpire interference,” he said after the loss. “We lost because we got out-competed in the seventh, eighth, and ninth. That’s ultimately on me. That’s my fault.

“I should’ve found a way to make sure we kept the pedal down. They outscored us 8-0 in the seventh, eighth, and ninth, and that’s not acceptable…

“We’re not playing fundamental defense right now. We’re going to work on that. Everybody’s disappointed. We deserve any criticism we get. The finger should be pointed at myself.”

Bakich could’ve blasted the umpire. He left that up to the crowd. Boos rained down from the stands after the mistake.

The Tigers’ head coach chose to point to three errors in the loss, including one that gave the Chanticleers the lead in the eighth inning.

Of Coastal Carolina’s 11 runs, only nine were earned. That was the difference in the game. Still, it does not lessen the sting of what could’ve been.

Had Clemson been able to make the play on the inning-ending popup, it likely wins the game.