Albany defeats Miramonte in controversial finish

To kickoff the 2008 baseball season, the Albany High baseball team took on the Miramonte Matadors in a highly anticipated non-league match-up. The Mats, predicted to finish first in the DFAL, began the game strong, taking a 4-0 lead by the third inning.

The Cougars were held hitless until the fifth inning, when Brandyn Adney reached base on an infield single, loading the bases for sophmore sensation Ellis Stephney who hit a bomb to deep left-center, bringing in three runs.

Walks by several Miramonte pitchers gave the Cougars the lead, 6-4. Senior Kyle Shipley, shut down the Matadors in the sixth inning, at which point the umpires decided that they would begin the seventh, with no guarantees they would finish the game. The Cougars went down in order in the top of the seventh, and with little sunlight left the Mats came to bat for their last chance at pulling out the win.

The bottom of the inning started out with Shipley hitting a batter, followed by a strike out and a walk. With one out and runners on first and second, the runners advanced on a wild pitch. Miramonte’s second basemen hit a double, driving in two runs, making the score 7-6. When this runner advanced to third on another wild pitch by Shipley, the drama began.

Before the wild pitch, the umpires declared that the next batter would be the last one, due to darkness. On the next pitch, the Mats attempted a suicide squeeze. The pitch skipped to the backstop and the runner on third slid in safely home, tying the game up at 7.

However the batter, who attempted to bunt the pitch, ran to first base after, thus indicating he must have made contact with the pitch.

The Cougars argued because the ball was in foul territory, it was therefore a dead ball, so the run shouldn’t have scored. The umpires ruled the batter never made contact, and the runner scored by stealing home. Further controversy occurred when Miramonte argued because it was ruled the batter never made contact, meaning he should have finished his last at-bat.

The umpires ruled it was too dark, and the game was over on the spot. With the 7th inning incomplete and the score tied at 7, the Cougars were awarded with the win, because NCS rules state that when an inning isn’t completed due to darkness, the score reverted back to the previous inning, thus handing the Cougars a controversial 7-4 victory.

Said senior Kyle Shipley on the game, “It was dangerously dark, and the lights were insufficient. We shouldn’t have even started the 7th inning.” The Cougars take on the Dons of Acalanes, in a rematch of the 2007 NCS championship game on Thursday 28th in Lafayette.

4 Responses

1. 8:03 PM on March 1st, 2008Anonymous:

   Hahaha kyle was beaming kids

2. 11:12 AM on March 4th, 2008Marc:

   Go Shipley.

3. 11:43 AM on March 5th, 2008kyle shipley:

   is a beast

4. 2:18 PM on March 7th, 2008Miramonte Part II :: The Cougar Online:

   [...] For previous coverage of this game, see this story. [...]

Leave a Comment

All comments are moderated. If your comment contains profanity or libelous content, please don't waste our time.