In a college baseball game between Liberty and North Carolina, things got tense between two coaches who share a long history. Liberty’s coach and North Carolina’s coach, both named Scott, have personal ties—their families are close, and they’ve known each other a long time. But that didn’t stop a bit of drama from unfolding on the field. During the bottom of the fifth, Liberty’s lefty pitcher, Rap, was dealing strikes when the North Carolina coach paused the game to show the umps a suspicious ball. Everyone on the field reacted as they examined a possible foreign substance. The umpires ultimately decided not to act further, and the game resumed.
The pitcher calmly returned to the mound, brushed off the distraction, and recorded outs with ease. Meanwhile, Liberty’s bench banter kept things loose, even after a fouled-off pitch drilled a teammate in the chest. The coach then jabbed back at the umps, saying if they’re checking them, they’re going to check North Carolina’s bat too. It seemed like the earlier friendship between the two coaches had cracked under the pressure. The consensus on the field was that making a public show of accusing a young college pitcher of cheating might have crossed a line, especially between supposed friends. The coaches smiled before the game, but by the fifth inning, that friendliness had faded.