The Sun Belt Conference office is aware of eight illegal pitch calls made against South Alabama softball pitcher Farish Beard in a single inning of Saturday’s loss to Georgia State, and the league is expected to review video of the inning.
All eight calls came in the first inning of the opening game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Each illegal pitch allowed Georgia State runners to advance one base, and the advances produced both of the Panthers’ runs in a 2-1 win over the Jaguars.
The Calls
First base umpire Destinee Robinson made all eight illegal pitch calls against Beard. Robinson ruled that Beard’s foot came off the pitching surface before she released the ball.
Hannah Campbell entered in relief and held Georgia State scoreless the rest of the game, but South Alabama managed only one run.
Beard returned to the circle for the second game of the doubleheader, with Robinson working behind home plate. Beard pitched all nine innings of that game and was not called for an illegal pitch.
Clark Responds
South Alabama head coach Becky Clark pointed to Beard’s workload this season after the doubleheader.
“You’ve got a pitcher who has thrown 117 innings (this season) and hasn’t had that called all year, and you get it called eight times in one inning,” Clark said.
Review Unlikely to Change Result
An illegal pitch is a judgment call by an umpire, which makes a successful appeal of the calls or the result unlikely. The Sun Belt office has been made aware of the situation.
Beard and Campbell have anchored a South Alabama pitching staff that ranks among the nation’s best this season. Clark has led the Jaguars since the program’s inception.
