With the Bulldogs leading Memphis 7-2 in the top of the sixth inning, the lights at Dudy Noble Field blinked just before a flashing, buzzing explosion behind the Left Field Lounge sent the campus into darkness Wednesday.
No, Roy Hobbs had not stepped to the plate. Instead of the scene from “The Natural” in which Hobbs’ homerun hits the lights and sparks fly, something else was the cause.
The entire campus lost power for about two hours leaving some studying in darkness and others trapped in elevators.
The physical plant director of utilities, Ralph Nobles, said the explosion was the result of a shattered insulator.
Insulators are small, oblong porcelain discs that keep power lines from touching the actual power poles. Nobles said the disc shattered, causing the live electrical wire to come into contact with the electrical pole and explode.
“The root cause was a squirrel that had been sitting on the crossarm. He evidently touched a live wire and it vaporized him,” Nobles said, adding, “the squirrel’s residue caused the insulator to conduct electricity and crack.”
“I guess that squirrel is no longer,” said head baseball coach Ron Polk. “The lights flickered and then out of the corner of my eye I saw a large bolt of fire,” he recalled.
Polk, in his 25th year at State, went to talk with electrical workers from the physical plant and assistant coordinator for game operations Brent Frey to get an estimate on when the power would be back up.
While Frey and the workers assessed the problem, fans remained in the Lounge for the game to resume.
Sophomore cheerleader Mac Youngblood and his uncle, Lamar Benson, were sitting just to the right of the hitter’s backdrop when the explosion happened.
“I was talking to my girlfriend on the phone,” Youngblood said.
“It was like fireworks, like a Roman candle,” Benson recalled in the darkness. “At first I thought someone had a propane tank blow. It’s the first time I’ve seen this at a baseball game. I’d rather be watching the game right now.”
As workers made repairs, the teams decided to end the game.
“We figured that by the time we got the lights back on and the pitchers warmed up, it would be about 10:30,” Polk explained. “They had a long drive on a school night, so we (Memphis coach Dave Anderson and Polk) mutually agreed that (the Bulldogs) would get the win.”
Frey has held his position for 12 years, but he had something extra to worry about: the video screen on the new scoreboard. Sometimes power surges can damage electronics.
Nobles said it didn’t take the electricians on call long to locate a spare insulator and begin repairs. The heavy-duty Top Kick diesel truck they arrived in is always stocked with tools and spare parts.
David and Tracy Cook were cleaning up their spot in the Lounge with flashlights while the electricians were working. The Cooks rarely miss a game and were sitting about 50 yards from the explosion. To enjoy the game they had cooked chicken wings and catfish, but no squirrel.
“It was scary, but it happened so fast,” said Tracy.
“(Left fielder) Jeff Butts made it halfway to the dugout before the explosion stopped,” David said with a laugh.
The first thing that regained power was the scoreboard.
“I left it on to make sure the screen was going to be alright while the electricians were here,” Frey said. “You just don’t know.”
Frey said the only stadium problem that rivaled Wednesday’s outage was to clear the football stadium during the 2001 Homecoming game against Troy State for a tornado warning.
Wednesday’s mishap sent the campus into darkness for about two hours.
Nobles said the repairs won’t be costly.
“(Insulators) are on power lines everywhere,” Nobles said. “They’re a pretty common, mundane item.”