Three Lafayette Little League players and a coach were thrown from last night's wild baseball game out in Seguine, Texas.

Youth sports is supposed to be a fun arena of competition, where young athletes learn how to grit it out against their opponent and show sportsmanship after the game. Unfortunately for three Lafayette players (age group 15-16), they didn't get to finish the game because the umpire threw them out. Here's how things played out in the 7-5 loss to Captitol Park (West Texas), according to sources that were at the game.

The first player was tossed from the game after a close play at the plate. The player picked up the bat and threw it in the dugout with his helmet, and the umpire said he did it with malice. One player gone.

The next play got two players and a coach thrown out of the game.

Another Lafayette player was called out, and he removed his helmet before getting all the way back into the dugout, so the umpire told him to put it back on. When the player questioned the umpire, he was thrown from the game. After observing his teammate get tossed, a Lafayette player at third base voiced his disapproval (using inappropriate language) and was swiftly thrown out as well. When the coach gave the umpire a piece of his mind, he was gone too.

Several factors contributed to the incidents, clearly. The Lafayette players and coaches could have handled the situation better, but the same could also be said for the umpires. Deescalation and preventative umpiring (issuing warnings, speaking to coaches) is an important job on the field, and it might have helped a bit here.

Rules are supposed to be enforced. That's why the umpire is there, but whenever the recap of a game has more to do with players getting thrown out than the on-the-field action, things start to feel uncomfortable.

It's always a shame when young athletes go home angry. Going home angry about a loss can be a good thing if it leads to improvement. Being angry at an umpire is never good.

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