Basehit or error

[Westwind]

From the NCAA stats guide (Section 3)...

A base hit is credited to a batter when she advances to a base
safely:

14.3.2 On a fair ball hit with such force or so slowly that more
than a routine play is required to put out the batter-runner.

I guess the judgement is about whether the play was "routine". An error is a failure to make a routine play, not a failure to make an outstanding, excellent, or even above-average play. I believe that many really overthink this, and sometimes wonder whether the more stingy among us ever lined up on defense against batters who knew what they were doing at the plate. I've seen gloves torn off the hands of good players, and been spun around myself by an infield grounder that looked and felt like like it was shot out of a cannon. I'd submit that in such a situation where the fielder's glove is ripped from the hand by the force of the hit ball, it's no longer "routine".

Also from Section 3:

14.3.2.4 When a fair-batted ball deflects off a fielder
playing in front of first or third base, a hit is credited to
the batter.


From the very end of Section 3, and the italics are the book's, not mine...

Note:
Always give the batter the benefit of the doubt and score a hit when exceptionally good fielding fails to result in a putout. When in doubt, scoring should always award base hits instead of charging errors.

Very good comment. I wish all score keeping was more standardized and this is a way to get there.

I'm a bit jaded I guess.

 

[doublenickel]

I agree that it is hard when not seeing but the force of the hit was really hard and it was 16u A class and the ball was not directly at the player but to the side a bit. If it was a routine ground ball or line drive it should be caught but it was a rocket. When I keep score I remember reading the ASA guidelines say that you always give the benefit of the doubt to the batter when scoring a hit. I used to be of the belief that if a fielder gets leather on a hit ball then it should be caught but after really paying attention to the way they scored hits in the CWS my mind changed. Specifically I remember a ball hit at the shortstop that was scalded and actually went through her legs and it was scored a hit, that made me question myself being a complete hard rear when scoring a game. Now I do give the benefit of doubt to the batter.