Tensions flared in the second inning of a game between Florida and Clemson in the Super Regionals, following a fairly routine play on the first base path involving Gators pitcher Jac Caglianone and Tigers designated hitter Nolan Nawrocki.
The play happened when Nawrocki tried to check his swing on a 1-0 pitch.
His bat made contact with the ball, though, sending a slow dribbler up the first-base line. Caglianone fielded it and went into the first base line to make the tag on Nawrocki.
That naturally invited some contact, and Caglianone bounced off. Upset about it, he went back at Nawrocki, giving him a brief shove.
Umpires quickly separated the two, then some Clemson players and staffers left the bench, joining the fray. There was no real contact between the two clubs at that point, but it took officials quite some time to review the proceeding to determine if there was anything untoward.
The umpires ruled that Clemson first baseman Jack Crighton was ejected, while both benches were issued a warning.
On replay review, it appeared that Crighton might have made slight contact with an umpire after he had rounded third base and returned to the scene of the pushing on the first base line. The game’s broadcasters felt the ejection was harsh, though.
“In all that, for Jack Crighton who’s coming around third, going back toward his dugout anyway… whew, that’s a tough pill to swallow for this Clemson bunch,” Chris Burke said on the broadcast.
In all, though, things could have been worse for Clemson after a nearly 20-minute review.
“Let me just put a bow on the whole legislation piece of that, if it does come down that it was the contact with the umpire, again, I’d like to think he’d get a little grace for that,” Burke said. “But I’m just glad that nobody that left the bench was thrown out of the ballgame. And I’m certainly glad that the two players that were involved in it weren’t thrown out of the ballgame.
Kudos to whoever was making that decision. I think they nailed that piece of it. Now I really feel bad for Jack Crighton, because, you know, it’s an emotional game.”
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