Forfeit rules in a tournament?

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Aug 19, 2015
1,118
113
Atlanta, GA
OK, so I need clarification on this. DD's team played in a one-day double-elimination tournament today. She had to miss the first two games due to a school required function. We arrived a little early for the third game and while the team was still playing the second game.

As we were walking down to the field where the team was playing, we saw the following: Runner slides into home and collides with our catcher. Catcher is down in a heap. She is crying and holding her arm. Long story short: she has to exit the game to go to Urgent Care and DD is suddenly in as catcher for the last half-inning of the game.

Next game starts almost immediately. DD is 4th in the lineup. On the first pitch, the ball hits her left hand (she's a lefty). I can tell it hurts her. She shakes her hand and keeps batting, but by the time she is walked, she is crying. DD is no wimp. She didn't cry at all last year when she broke her left middle finger playing basketball.

She continues to cry and cry. Her left thumb is swelling and there is immediately a bruise or blood blister looking thing under her fingernail. We decide that we've got to go get her X-rayed, so we leave. We felt horrible b/c now both catchers are down for the count. But, we've got to go.

Right after we left, the umps told our coaches that we had to forfeit the game. The reasoning was that we went from 9 to 8 players. You cannot change the number of players that you started the game with. So, essentially, our team was being punished for someone getting injured and having to leave the game.

Seems just of weird and unfair to me. Can anyone explain the reasoning? This was a USSSA A-level tournament, BTW.
 
Oct 30, 2014
292
18
Seattle
I'm not quoting any rule books here but I'm pretty sure ASA will let you play down to 7 as long as you start with 9. I know NSA is less accomodating and have no idea about USSSA.
 
Sep 8, 2015
85
18
I'm not quoting any rule books here but I'm pretty sure ASA will let you play down to 7 as long as you start with 9. I know NSA is less accomodating and have no idea about USSSA.

i am pretty positive that you have to maintain 9 in U-trip. If you start with 9 and have an injury you are done....
 
Jul 3, 2013
438
43
Game should have continued, but with an out every time your DD's spot came up to bat. Would only be a forfeit if she was ejected.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
Game should have continued, but with an out every time your DD's spot came up to bat. Would only be a forfeit if she was ejected.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
This is my understanding, with an automatic out every time she would have been up to bat. Pretty sure you're supposed to be able to play with 8.

We played an ASA tournament yesterday and were watching between games. Bases loaded, a girl struck out and ran on a dropped 3rd. Made it to the base, the other girls all ran, 2 runs scored while the fielding team was trying to figure out what the heck was happening. Parents are telling the ump, you can't take a base on a drop 3rd when 1st is occupied. I have no idea why the coaches didn't argue. It would be nice if umps would all learn the rules of the game wouldn't it?
 
Oct 3, 2011
3,478
113
Right Here For Now
This is my understanding, with an automatic out every time she would have been up to bat. Pretty sure you're supposed to be able to play with 8.

We played an ASA tournament yesterday and were watching between games. Bases loaded, a girl struck out and ran on a dropped 3rd. Made it to the base, the other girls all ran, 2 runs scored while the fielding team was trying to figure out what the heck was happening. Parents are telling the ump, you can't take a base on a drop 3rd when 1st is occupied. I have no idea why the coaches didn't argue. It would be nice if umps would all learn the rules of the game wouldn't it?

Not to get off-topic but if there are 2 outs and 1st is occupied, the batter can take 1st base on a D3K if she ran and reached the base safely. Also, even if it's less than 2 outs, the other baserunners can advance bases at their own risk of being put out just like stealing bases. It's incumbent upon the catcher and the defense to know the situations. So if less than 2 outs, batter/runner who went to first is out and removed from the bases, the runs that scored count and the other runners that advanced and are safe will remain on the bases they reached safely.
 
Last edited:
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
Huh. I thought if first was occupied out was out. The way it all went down it really didn't look right. Interesting.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
Huh. I thought if first was occupied out was out. The way it all went down it really didn't look right. Interesting.

If 1B is occupied, WITH LESS THAN 2 OUTS, the batter is immediately out on a dropped 3rd strike. With 2 outs, the batter must be put out before reaching 1B.
 

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,481
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top