Things got heated in a Super Regional matchup between Clemson and Florida on Sunday when Gators pitcher Jac Caglianone and Tigers designated hitter Nolan Nawrocki collided.
Caglianone was making the play to tag Nawrocki out as he attempted to reach first base. The two hit each other hard and Nawrocki appeared to push off a bit as a result. That caused Caglianone to retaliate with a shove as he jogged away and the benches cleared as umpires separated the players.
Clemson first baseman Jack Crighton was the only player ejected as a result. Tigers coach Erik Bakich joined the ESPN broadcast to address that play as a whole and offer an explanation for why Crighton was tossed.
“You could almost see it in slow motion happening,” he said. “A swinging bunt and then two guys running for the ball collided. Competitive kids. Emotions get hot. But the explanation for throwing out Crighton that I got was he was on base and left his position on base even though it was the third out of the inning and he was coming back to the dugout. So I don’t really know what to tell you there.”
It was clear from those comments that Bakich did not agree with the decision from the umpires to eject his first baseman. He wasn’t shy about letting them know either.
“They told me he was ejected and I said, ‘I’m not the one who’s gonna eject him,'” the coach explained.
As a result of the unsportsmanlike conduct ejection, Crighton will miss Clemson’s next game, whenever that is — be it Monday in a Super Regional Game 3 or next season’s opener.
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.
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