College baseball pitcher pushes runner while tagging him, causing benches to clear

The college football season may be over, but a tough hit in a baseball game between the Central Michigan Chippewas and the Toledo Rockets may have filled that void for a few moments.

In the top of the seventh inning, Rockets outfielder Luke Walton hit a dribbler off Chippewas pitcher Max Hammond. Walton ran down the first base line, trying to avoid a tag or at least get to the bag before the pitcher threw it to the first baseman.

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Toledo’s Luke Walton scores a run against Oregon in a game on February 14, 2025. (Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Hammond walked over and pushed Walton down. The tag was made, but Walton resisted the push. He stood up again and addressed Hammond face to face. The two players had to be restrained when both benches spilled onto the field.

When the dust cleared, Hammond and Walton were expelled. The coaches did not address the situation after the game.

TENNESSEE BATTER CELEBRATES GOING ON HOMER PREMATURELY WHILE GEORGIA OUTFIELDER MAKES INCREDIBLE CATCH

NCAA signage is seen on the field before the game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Ole Miss Rebels during the Division I Men’s Baseball Championship held at Charles Schwab Field Omaha on June 26, 2022 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photos by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA via Getty Images)

Central Michigan earned the 6-5 victory in the 11th inning when Harrison Bowman delivered an RBI single. Bowman was 3-for-5 with a double in the win.

The Chippewas defeated the Rockets, 18-7, on Saturday night. The wins secured Central Michigan’s first Mid-American Conference series win of the season. They improved to 9-11 overall on the year and 3-6 against conference opponents.

Toledo fell to 10-11 overall and 6-3 against conference opponents.

General view of the stadium before the contest between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Florida State Seminoles at Charles Schwab Field Omaha on June 18, 2024. (Steven Branscombe/USA TODAY Sports)

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Central Michigan will return to the field on Tuesday for a game against the Michigan State Spartans. Toledo also goes into action on Tuesday. They hit the road to take on the Butler Bulldogs.

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