Texas and Houston faced off in an elimination game, but the focus quickly shifted to a messy umpire error. On the first pitch, the batter clearly swung and missed, making it 0-1. The next pitch was called a strike again, so the count should have been 0-2. But the home plate umpire suddenly announced it was 1-1. Even the batter looked confused and laughed. Coaches from both teams came out trying to clarify the count. One coach asked if the second pitch was a ball or strike, and the umpire hesitated before confirming it had been called a strike. The count should have stayed at 0-2.
Then things got worse. Another umpire stepped in and insisted the count was 1-1, contradicting everyone, including the home plate ump who had just confirmed the second strike. The umps held a quick conference, but instead of fixing the error, they stuck with 1-1 based on flawed reasoning. The Houston coach tried to argue her case, pointing out the strikes were clearly called, but the umps refused to take responsibility. She gave up trying to reason with them and walked away frustrated as the game continued with the incorrect count. The whole sequence raised questions about communication and awareness among the umpiring crew.