A wild moment from the quarterfinal between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Florida State Seminoles in the ACC Tournament went viral on social media after the Panthers’ coach appeared to influence the home plate umpire, leading to a controversial call in favor of Pitt and extending their run in the tournament at Truist Field in Charlotte, NC.
The Panthers faced imminent defeat, trailing 5-6 in the ninth with two outs and a full count. The Seminoles’ reliever threw a low fastball called a ball, resulting in a walk and runners on first and second. The previous pitch, also a low fastball, was called a strike.
Panthers coach Mike Bell strongly protested, criticizing the call and possibly influencing the next decision, which should have been a strike that would have given the Seminoles the win. Instead, the inning was extended, the Panthers scored three runs, and won 8-6, advancing to the ACC semifinals.
Fans were quick to react to this viral moment, with many believing that Bell slyly influenced the decision in his team’s favor, ultimately leading to the win.
“What a b***h! @ACCBaseball umps are the WORST!!” one fan commented.
“@ACCBaseball How are we letting coaches bully umps into making bad calls?? the second pitch was more of a strike than the first one!” another fan commented.
“Those two pitch calls at a pivotal time of the game should get the dude fired. Of course, he stunk all night for both teams randomly,” yet another fan commented.
Some fans argued that Bell should have been ejected from the game for his untimely protest against the umpire’s call at the plate.
“Should have ejected the coach. Can’t come out of the dugout to argue balls and strikes. I know it’s the tournament, but he ejected himself,” one fan commented.
“Should’ve tossed the coach – ZERO arguing of balls and strikes ever – auto ejection,” another fan commented.
“Pitt has to cry for the umps help to win,” yet another fan commented.
Pittsburgh to Face North Carolina in the SF on Saturday
Since joining the ACC in the 2013-14 season, the Panthers have not secured a single conference title. They also share a similar record at the national level. Pitt is eager to break this streak and aim for their first significant championship in the program’s history, more than a decade after becoming part of the conference.
The path to the summit clash in Charlotte will be challenging for the Panthers, who face the No. 2 seed North Carolina Tar Heels in the semifinals on Saturday. It promises to be an exciting game, with the victor moving on to compete against the winner of the other semifinal between Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Miami Hurricanes on Sunday at Truist Field.
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