Texas A&M coach Trisha Ford reacts to 'crazy call' after Texas challenges runner interference

Texas A&M softball coach Trisha Ford is trying to get things back on track for the Aggies following a controversial call in the fourth inning of a Regional matchup Sunday against Texas. After Longhorns coach Mike White won a challenge that A&M runner Rylen Wiggins interfered with a double play to end the inning things began to quickly trend downward for A&M.

During an in-game interview, Ford said the call was “crazy,” but encouraged her team to move on and do what it can to stay keep itself alive over the next few innings.

“It’s just crazy calls,” she said on ESPN2. “We’ve just got to come back out here and put some runs up so we can keep fighting in this game.”

After the call, the Aggies gave up four runs in the top of the fifth as Texas nearly doubled its lead from 6-2 to 10-2. Not only that, but A&M assistant Jeff Harter was ejected in the bottom of the fifth after gesturing at the umpire in an “unsportsmanlike manner.”

However, the Aggies responded with three runs of its own in the bottom of the inning to cut the deficit to 10-5 heading into the sixth.

“Just focus up on things that we can’t control,” Ford said. “We can’t control a lot of things right now and things obviously kind of spiraled. So come out, let’s focus up, let’s get some runs on the board and we’ll be fine.”

Things are getting dire for the Aggies, as they would be eliminated from the NCAA Tournament with a loss. As for Texas, it would advance to Super Regionals with a victory. If A&M can find a way to come back, it would force another game between the two teams with the winner of that contest moving on to Super Regionals.

Texas wins challenge on A&M runner interference resulting in double play

After Rylen Wiggins was thrown out at second following a ground ball to third base from Allie Enright, White argued that Wiggins obstructed the throw to first preventing a double play. The replay shows Wiggins stand upright as Longhorns second baseman Viviana Martinez makes the throw to first. Enright was originally ruled safe during live action.

Upon review of the play, however, officials decided that White was right and Enright was ruled out to end the inning.

According to the NCAA rule book, “if a batter interferes with a fielder attempting to field a batted ball, the ball is dead, the batter-runner is out and runners return to the last base touched at the time of the pitch. If obvious attempt to break up a double play, runner closest to home is also called out.”

The three runs that A&M scored in the fifth would be its last as Texas went on to win 11-5. The Longhorns advance to a Super Regional, where they’ll await the winner between Tennessee and Indiana in the Knoxville Regional.