Clemson baseball's Cam Cannarella ejected vs. Tennessee, will miss elimination game

Clemson baseball centerfielder Cam Cannarella played a large part in Saturday's extra-inning game in the Clemson Regional between the Tigers and Tennessee at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. But he didn't get to finish the game.

Cannarella was ejected in between the top and bottom of the 13th inning after an interaction between himself and Tennessee's Zane Denton following an inning-ending double play.

Clemson coach Erik Bakich confirmed after the game that Cannarella will be suspended, by NCAA rules, for the Tigers' elimination game on Sunday against Charlotte.

The Tigers and Vols were locked in a 5-5 tie that included an emotional ninth inning. Clemson lost a 4-2 lead with two out in the 9th on a Denton 3-run home run. Cannarella's RBI double tied the game in the bottom of the inning.

Cannarella was 3-for-5 with 4 RBI, a run scored and two doubles. But the Tigers' leadoff hitter was done in the 13th inning, with Nathan Hall replacing him.

The chirping in the 7th inning between Clemson's Caden Grice and Tennessee's Christian Moore led to the umpires getting together with both teams' coaches. Bakich confirmed after the game that warnings were issued to both teams.

Second base umpire Angel Campos was the umpire who initially heard the conversation in the middle of the 13th inning and walked to the Clemson dugout. Bakich was infuriated when informed of the ejection.

STAY UP-TO-DATE: Subscribe to our Sports newsletter now!

"I didn’t see it," Bakich said after the game. "Our guys didn’t know what was going on. The explanation was something he said was directed to the other team. They ejected him for it. I didn’t hear it. I didn’t see it. Not many people heard or it saw it."

The ESPN2 broadcast wasn't happy about the ejection of the ACC Freshman of the Year, either.

"You cannot do that," ESPN analyst Kyle Peterson, who was on the call in Saturday's game, said. "Not for that."

"There's zero, zero way you can throw a kid out for doing that. Either one of them. I don't know what was said, but they were going the other way, guys. We're not face-to-face. We're not imitating anything. They are fired up, running off the field. This has got to stop."

The ESPN2 replay showed neither player getting close to one another.

"I blame the guys that write the rule book, (who) get so worried about it," ESPN play-by-play announcer Tom Hart, also on the call, said after showing the replay.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson OF Cam Cannarella ejected in extra innings vs. Tennessee