Cal and Florida State were tied 0-0 in the second inning when things got weird. Cal’s batter crushed a solo shot to left, clearing the fence cleanly for a home run. He rounded the bases, touched them all, and the ump ran alongside him for a bit before peeling off. No issues there. Then Cal shortstop Keyshawn Ogins came up and hit what looked like another solo homer, this time to right field. He rounded the bases like normal, got a high five from his coach, touched home, and celebrated. But the Florida State catcher flagged something. He pointed to second base, claiming Ogins missed it. The umps got together and decided it was worth reviewing.
The review process was classic college ball—just a group of umpires watching the hallway monitor. They combed through the angles, trying to figure out whether Ogins’ heel clipped second base or not. Two angles were inconclusive, but a third showed a small hop that looked like a clean miss. After review, they ruled him out. The home run came off the board. Ogins was stunned but handled it well, smiled it off, and went back to shortstop. Florida State would go on to win the game in the ninth with a walk-off. Final score: Florida State by one. That erased homer would have tied it. Tough break.
The breakdown ends with more frustration directed at the base-touch rule. The view is clear—if a player clears the fence, that should be the end of the story. It’s not an excuse for players to skip bases, but the idea that a 400-foot homer can be wiped out over a small miss at second still feels outdated. Rules are rules, but this one cost Cal a big game.