Baseball: Georgia pitcher beans the plate umpire

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If you throw the ball, you’d better be sure somebody’s going to try to catch it...

In the deciding game of the state Class AAA championships last weekend in Cartersville, Ga., the catcher from Toccoa (Ga.) Stephens County High, Matt Hill, ducked out of the way of a pitch by Cody Martin that struck the plate umpire, who was not injured.

Though the players said the passed ball was because of a mix-up in signals, Georgia High School Assn. executive director Ralph Swearngin, who watched video of the pitch, didn’t believe them. He fined the school $1,000 and placed its baseball team on ‘severe warning status.’

The pitch came two batters after the pitcher’s brother, Ethan Martin -- selected Thursday by the Dodgers with the No. 15 overall pick in the amateur baseball draft and was recently named Gatorade state player of the year -- argued with the home plate umpire and threw his helmet after becoming the ninth straight Stephens batter to strike out.

-- Bob Rohwer