Charles Davalan couldn’t hide his emotions after his brutal blunder helped doom Arkansas in its semifinal loss to LSU in the College World Series.
His error permitted LSU to equalize the score in the ninth inning on Wednesday night in Omaha, Nebraska, just when Arkansas was on the brink of securing a spot in the College World Series final.
An emotional Davalan crouched on the field after the game ended with a blank expression before he was later seen with tears streaming down his face.
A plethora of coaches and teammates consoled Davalan, a sophomore from Montreal, sharing long hugs and words of encouragement.
Davalan looked disconsolate through it all.
Arkansas led 5-3 with two outs and runners on first and second in the bottom of the ninth inning.
LSU’s Luis Hernandez hit a line drive to left field, and Davalan missed it.
He dove unsuccessfully, and the ball ricocheted off his body.
Two runs scored on the play to tie the game at 5-5.
“The ball was hit with force, clearly, and it was curving and dropping,” explained Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn regarding Davalan’s blunder. “It appeared that Charles lost his footing while going for it, and in doing so, he lost track of the ball.”
Jared Jones, the next batter, then hit a line drive off second baseman Cam Kozeal’s glove to drive in the game-winning run.
LSU will face Coastal Carolina in the best-of-three championship series, looking to win its second title in three years.
Davalan recorded a .352./.440/.572 slash line this year with 14 homers, 60 RBIs and a 1.012 OPS.
He was named to the All-SEC First Team.
But his season ended in heartbreak.
