It did not slip off from carelessness. It was forcibly removed after an epic struggle.
Down to its last out, Illinois State rallied for a tie in the top of the ninth inning. But Alex Binelas' two-out, bases-loaded single up the middle drove home the winning run in the bottom of the frame as Louisville edged the Redbirds, 4-3, in the championship game of the NCAA Tournament's Louisville Regional.
"Obviously not the outcome we were looking for, But at the end of the day a bloop for them or a bloop for us could have changed the whole thing," ISU coach Steve Holm said.