Game Time Starts

Had this issue this weekend, Saturday we meet after the umps call for the coaches. We exchange lineups and flip for home/visitor. I win and choose home, ump says time starts now (75 min game, bracket) and hit the field and tosses ball to rubber. I see lightning and i refuse to send my team out ( it was close,) Anyways 1 min later the storm drops about 1/2in and lots of lightning. We come back Sunday am for a 8:30 start and at 8:24 HPU calls for coaches. He wants a new line up and reflip, I say we have already done that. He responds by saying the game never started, the first pitch never happen to start the game. Now i lose the toss and I become the visitors. And on top of that, the other team got there before us, took our dugout that we had at the break. The whole deal just got me, I don't mind being visitor or home. But if the clock starts and ends the game, that's when it starts, not the pitch!

We had a rain delaye game. Started pouring out of the blue. Game stopped, location changed and restarted about 2 hours later. Ump had the wrong score and the wrong team on the field. We ended up winning the game but def A lesson learned to get clarification prior to leaving the field.

I'm not sure what the actual rule is for your situation. I'd say you are right but I'm sure that it varies by league etc.

4 girl's dad said:

We had a rain delaye game. Started pouring out of the blue. Game stopped, location changed and restarted about 2 hours later. Ump had the wrong score and the wrong team on the field. We ended up winning the game but def A lesson learned to get clarification prior to leaving the field.

I'm not sure what the actual rule is for your situation. I'd say you are right but I'm sure that it varies by league etc.

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Not sure how the ump got the wrong score...UMPS don't keep score! This is why there is an official scorekeeper.

As for OP the game does not start until first pitch but it is common to start the clock after plate meeting so I'm not sure but I would not get all bent out of shape about it either way.

I think TD can call the game until 1st pitch, after 1st pitch umpire can call the game.

Here you caneed not see any lightning for 20 minutes before game is allowed to resume.

the Main reason is they had new players come in on sunday, that were not on the original lineup. so they went from 9, to 11. In a 7inn game it should be first pitch, a timed game should start when he starts the time.

quincy said:

I think TD can call the game until 1st pitch, after 1st pitch umpire can call the game.

Here you caneed not see any lightning for 20 minutes before game is allowed to resume.

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And the hpu said he didnt see any lightning, so play ball! Why would a coach lie about that! The guy was a jerk! This was one of many screwups from umps to bracket to fields.

By rule, the game starts when the umpires declares PLAY BALL.

By rule, the clock (if used) starts on the first warm up pitch.

Many tournaments will start the game clock at the conclusion of the plate conference to encourage the teams to hustle on to the field so they get as much softball as possible in the defined time limit.
In the OP, the ruling made was correct..the game had not yet started, so anything done up to that point never happened.

It happens to everyone if you coach enough years. We were playing a team and we were tied going into the top of the 7th. We had the top of the order coming up. Their #1 was out of gas for the day. We're having success against their #2. Torrential downpour hit. Game suspended until the next day.

They put their #1 in she kept us from scoring. They scored a run. We were eliminated from the tournament. We needed a few more minutes and didn't get them from Ma Nature.