LSU and Florida are currently locked into a College World Series dogfight, with the Gators holding a slim 4-3 advantage in the top of the ninth.
Big bat Greg Deichmann reached first on a strong double down the first base line to begin the inning, then centerfielder Zach Watson popped out to center. Up came third baseman Josh Smith, with high hopes of batting Deichmann around to at least cross another runner for the tie.
That didn’t go as planned, or at least not as Smith would have planned.
Smith indeed puts the ball in play, singling into right center. That scores Deichmann from second, but Smith got greedy in his base running, unwisely trying to stretch the play into a double.
Thing is, though, that Florida shortstop Dalton Guthrie appears not to make the tag before Smith reaches base here. Smith somehow avoids Guthrie’s glove in his face on the slide, only getting tagged after touching the base with his left hand.
Unfortunately for LSU, this sort of play is not reviewable, despite the fact that college baseball needs to implement video assist review on a larger scale. That’s gotta sting for Tigers fans.
Florida maintains a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth.