A college baseball match turned ugly and violent on Sunday when a CMU pitcher tagged a Toledo baserunner. As the runner ended up on the ground, the situation heated up. With benches on both sides getting cleared, it ultimately resulted in a brawl on the field.

Keilitz Field in Michigan’s Mount Pleasant was hosting a matchup between the Central Michigan Chippewas and the Toledo Rockets on Sunday. In the match, Toledo’s left fielder, Luke Walton, was knocked down by Central Michigan pitcher Max Hammond during a play. Following this, a brawl broke out among the players of both sides.

According to Jomboy Media on X, “Pitcher knocks the runner to the ground and benches clear. Both the pitcher and runner were ejected.”

When Walton was batting against Hammond, the former hit a slower ball along the baseline that the Central Michigan pitcher successfully fielded.

As Walton was running towards the base, Hammond tagged him with more force than necessary. The aggressive tag sent him crashing into the ground, which did not sit well with Walton. Following the shove, Walton angrily charged towards the CMU players when the benches on both sides emptied simultaneously.

All the players entered the diamond, resulting in a brawl that the umpires quickly got under control. As a consequence, both Walton and Hammond were ejected from the game.

Brawls are quite common in college baseball games. Last year, one broke out between the Spring Hill College Badgers and the Mobile Rams. When Rams Isidro Jimenez screamed in the direction of Badgers shortstop Seth Williams after he popped off, Williams did not hold himself back. As the two got engaged in a heated exchange, players from both sides left the benches, ultimately causing a brawl.

The game between Spring Hill and Mobile was suspended immediately following the brawl. However, the match between CMU and Toledo continued after Walton and Hammond got ejected.

CMU vs Toledo match results

The Toledo Rockets had the upper hand at the start of the game, leading 2-0. By the end of the sixth inning, they were leading 3-2.

The Chippewas tied the score in the seventh inning and took the lead in the eighth by scoring two more runs.

The Rockets’ Charlie Scholvin scored a two-run home run in the ninth inning and tied the score. The 10 inning was scoreless, dragging the game to the 11.

Central Michigan ultimately won the match 6-5 in 11 innings after they hit an RBI with two outs in the bottom of the 11 inning.

Michael Fliss closed the game, pitching the ultimate 3.2 innings. He recorded a scoreless ninth and tenth innings, but CMU got better off him in the eleventh inning, scoring the winning run.

CMU and Toledo are competing in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). With this win, Central Michigan took the lead by winning 2 games out of the three played over the weekend. However, Toledo is ranked fourth in the MAC standings, with a 6-3 record.