Collision at first w/safety base

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Jul 9, 2012
137
18
Situation that happened last night during 14u game.......

Batter hits the ball very lightly....drops like a bunt in front of the plate. Hustles down to first and runs through the orange safety base. Beating the throw. 1st baseman was standing on top of both bases and gets ran into on the play....knocking her to the ground.

HC for the fielding team jumps up and starts screaming at the top of his lungs that the runner is out and is a dirty player and should be kicked out of future games. The umpire looks confused and calls the runner out.

Just wondering if the correct call was made.
 
Sep 14, 2011
768
18
Glendale, AZ
Depends on what rule set you are playing under.

Sounds like the first call should be Obstruction on F3. As for the collision, that is a different matter and I would have to see it to judge.
If the contact was malicious, the runner could be ejected from the game. In ASA, there is no provision to call the runner out, however.
In NFHS and, I believe, USSSA, the runner could be declared out for the collision if she made no attempt to avoid the collision.
 
Jun 28, 2016
34
6
NJ
What is the rule? I had one umpire tell me that if the fielder is attempting to make a play on the orange bag, the baserunner should head toward the white bag, which seems ridiculous to me. I've had others say that if a player makes a play using the orange bag, the runner is safe because the orange bag is only for the runner, not the fielder. Most seem to regard it as one big bag and don't pay attention to who steps where.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
What is the rule? I had one umpire tell me that if the fielder is attempting to make a play on the orange bag, the baserunner should head toward the white bag, which seems ridiculous to me. I've had others say that if a player makes a play using the orange bag, the runner is safe because the orange bag is only for the runner, not the fielder. Most seem to regard it as one big bag and don't pay attention to who steps where.

I am NOT an umpire, but it is my understanding that in a situation like a dropped third strike where the catcher has to move towards the backstop to field the ball, F3 can set up to receive the throw on the safety bag, and the base runner should adjust to the regular bag.
 
Feb 17, 2014
551
28
I am NOT an umpire, but it is my understanding that in a situation like a dropped third strike where the catcher has to move towards the backstop to field the ball, F3 can set up to receive the throw on the safety bag, and the base runner should adjust to the regular bag.

This is the way I understand it as well.
 
Jun 22, 2008
3,731
113
What is the rule? I had one umpire tell me that if the fielder is attempting to make a play on the orange bag, the baserunner should head toward the white bag, which seems ridiculous to me. I've had others say that if a player makes a play using the orange bag, the runner is safe because the orange bag is only for the runner, not the fielder. Most seem to regard it as one big bag and don't pay attention to who steps where.

If the throw is coming from foul territory, the fielder may set up on the orange base. If the throw is coming from fair territory the fielder must use the white base unless the throw draws them onto the orange base. If the fielder sets up on only the orange base for a normal throw from fair territory then the batter/runner would be safe.
 
Jun 28, 2016
34
6
NJ
If the throw is coming from foul territory, the fielder may set up on the orange base. If the throw is coming from fair territory the fielder must use the white base unless the throw draws them onto the orange base. If the fielder sets up on only the orange base for a normal throw from fair territory then the batter/runner would be safe.

So it sounds like it is the baserunner's responsibility to pick the "unused" bag in the first two examples (throw from foul territory/throw that pulls her off the white bag onto the orange bag). Would the runner be called for interference if she ran into the first baseman on the orange bag in those examples? Seems like a pretty dangerous situation to allow the fielder to use the orange bag under any circumstances -- the whole point is to avoid a collision at first.
 

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