Texas catches tough break on called second out after batter hit by pitch

A spot in the College World Series is on the line in Palo Alto and things are getting intense. Stanford and Texas are battling one another, with both teams threatening to add a ton of runs. In the top of the seventh inning, with a 6-3 deficit, the Longhorns were looking to get back into the game before controversy struck.

Porter Brown was up to bat, with runners on first and second. Just one out was on the board for Stanford and a pitch came inside and hit Brown. The only issue? He was called out after the umpiring crew determined the hitter leaned into the pitch.

By definition, Brown was ruled out. Instead of having the bases loaded with one out, Texas had to keep their runners at bay and attempt to battle with two outs. Just two batters later, Stanford got out of the inning with a big strikeout of Eric Kennedy, keeping their three-run advantage.

To no surprise, head coach David Pierce was not too happy with the call. Even after the crew got together to discuss and eventually made a decision, Pierce was in the ear of the third base umpire while serving as a base coach.

You can watch the full moment here.

Porter Brown ordered a plate of chicken wings before the ball even left his hand. pic.twitter.com/IaHfrZqnMs

— Brett Gibbons (@roadtocfb) June 13, 2023

ESPN color commentator Kyle Peterson was working the broadcast of the game, breaking it down from his perspective. Although this is not a rule called too often in baseball, Peterson believes it was the right call. He said Brown’s attempt to purposely get hit was “obvious” and the umpires made the correct decision.

“We haven’t seen this very much,” Peterson said. “But you don’t have to move. You can’t move into it. Watch the front arm because that’s the key. That’s the right call. Watch that right arm that goes up, moves into it. I actually think it’s pretty obvious. I don’t think it’s going to be a popular call in Austin but the rule is very specific. Essentially, you cannot initiate contact as a hitter. That clearly was. He didn’t have to either.”

Porter Brown himself was not too thrilled with the call. But Texas still had an opportunity to put a few runs on the board and ultimately came up short. Attempting to fight off elimination against Stanford, if they are going to come back to win the game, another big inning will have to come to fruition for the Longhorns.