Central Michigan needed any sort of spark to light a fire under this season.
As the favorites to win the Mid-American Conference West Division in the preseason poll, the Chippewas have underwhelmed as they entered Sunday’s game versus Ball State 19 games on the wrong side of .500.
But with a chance to win two out of three games in the weekend’s home series against Ball State, CMU put its first two baserunners on in the bottom of the ninth trailing by two runs.
The hope and spark were extinguished in an instant.
Attempting a double steal after the first out was recorded, the lead Central Michigan baserunner was thrown out at third base in a call disputed by head coach Steve Jaksa.