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Umpires uphold USC Upstate foul ball on near grand slam vs. Kentucky

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax05/31/25BarkleyTruax
Clemson Baseball
Jun 2, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Fans fill the seats before the game with Clemson and Coastal Carolina University the NCAA baseball Clemson Regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

Fair or foul? That was the question in the fourth inning of Saturday’s matchup in the Clemson Regional between Kentucky and USC Upstate.

Kentucky led the game 3-0 as Spartans slugger Scott Newman stepped up to the plate with a 3-1 count and the bases loaded. Newman hit a ball hard to right field and appeared to just miss the fair side of the foul pole. The call on the field was a foul ball, and the officials stopped the game to review the call.

They could not find indisputable video evidence to overturn the call despite fans in the area advocating for the call to be changed. The would-be grand slam would have given the Spartans the lead over the Wildcats, who scored three runs in the first inning.

Whether there was controversy on the call is up for your personal interpretation. However, USC Upstate wouldn’t leave the inning empty-handed. After the foul ball was upheld by the officials, Spartans catcher Preston Lucas knocked in two of the three baserunners with a double to left center. Gage Griggs came up to bat next, and flied out to centerfield to score the game-tying RBI.

USC Upstate’s scoring barrage shouldn’t come as a surprise to the Kentucky defense. The Spartans entered the weekend ranked second in the country in scoring with 9.7 runs per game. They hit 99 home runs as a team before arriving at Clemson for the start of the NCAA Tournament.

Earlier in the matchup, Kentucky centerfielder Carson Hansen was the catalyst for the Wildcats’ three-run lead to begin the fourth. Belting a three-run home run to left field in the bottom of the first inning, Hansen’s swing set the tone for the Wildcats during the matchup.

Kentucky would go on to break the tie following a Patrick Herrera sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the sixth inning. UK added three more insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, securing the victory for the Wildcats.

The win allowed Kentucky to survive and advance through in the Clemson Regional. They will play the loser of regional host Clemson and West Virginia in another elimination matchup.

They did so without the services of standout shortstop Tyler Bell, who injured his knee during the regional opener against the Mountaineers. It remains to be seen if he’ll be able to play on Sunday, but head coach Nick Mingione said during the game that if he was needed in the game, he could play under the right circumstances.