Baseball: Sun Belt suspends umpire crew for mistakes in UL game

Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, March 1, 2018

The Sun Belt Conference has suspended for one game the umpiring crew whose botched home run call last Sunday led to a two-game suspension for UL coach Tony Robichaux.

The home run decision — a two-run shot by Ragin’ Cajuns outfielder Daniel Lahare in the seventh inning of a loss to Wright State that first was called a homer, then was incorrectly reversed, forcing Lahare to stay at second base and taking two UL runs off the board — was one of a few missed calls throughout the game.

According to a statement from the Sun Belt: The crew “will be relieved of all duties for one game due to the multiple officiating errors that occurred” Sunday, SBC commissioner Karl Benson decided Wednesday.

It was not specified which game the four will miss.

The Sun Belt didn’t immediately respond to a request for an explanation as to why the crew was suspended one game while Robichaux, who was ejected from Sunday’s game for arguing against the reversal, will sit out two.

Cajun controversy: UL’s Lahare had homer taken away

But Robichaux’s two-game suspension — which came from the NCAA, not the Sun Belt — was automatic according to a rule that states “no team personnel may continue to argue or to continue to excessively express themselves with prolonged actions or offensive language after an ejection.”

The Sun Belt ruling, however, was discretionary.

The same crew, replay shows, missed at least two other calls in Sunday’s game — a Kole McKinnon home run for UL that actually hit off the wall, and a Wright State runner who was called out at the plate but appeared to be safe.

Lahare’s homer, replay also showed, actually hit a pine tree behind the wall and bounced back into M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field at Russo Park.

The hit would have put UL up 4-3, but the then-No. 20 Cajuns — who failed to score their two runners in the seventh despite them reaching with no outs in the half-inning — wound up losing 4-3.

UL filed an appeal to the Sun Belt including video from the game, and — although the final result stands — the league did opt to punish the crew of Jordan Alborado, Jeremy Hayes, Ryan Broussard and crew chief Myron Miller.

Robichaux said Tuesday that he’s been suspended for both UL’s home game Wednesday night against Nicholls and its game Friday night against No. 21 Mississippi at the Shriners College Classic in Houston.

More: UL’s Robichaux suspended two games following ejection