High school game- a couple of questions

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obbay

Banned
Aug 21, 2008
2,199
0
Boston, MA
I assume this would be NFHS rules.i tried to look them up but couldnt find what i was looking for.
How would you call these plays ?

1- 1st base coaches box is not lined. Foul pop up. Coach doesnt move and fielder has to stop and go around him. Comes close but doesnt make the catch

2 runner is thrown out at 1B, runner crosses her arms and takes out the 1B who was still standing on the base (white portion of a double base)

3- batter hits one in the gap, takes the turn at 1B and colldes with the 1B standing in the baseline with her back to the BR. Batter is tripped on the play and goes back to 1B.

4- runner is safe at 1B. Overruns it and on her way back, 1B attempts to tag B-R, at which the B-R grabs her and throws her aside, remains on her feet.

All happened in one game. I agreed with some calls, disagreed with others and in some cases, didnt even know if it was a thing.
Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Jan 11, 2015
78
18
1 - Call the batter out if the umpires feel the defense would have made the play if not for the interference by the coach. Player does the right thing in not running over the coach. Coach must give way to the defense, atleast make an effort to get out of the way.

2 - Looking at malicious contact hear, as define simple as "Use of excessive force". Let you be the judge of that. If not maybe an official warning for unsportsmanlike conduct to the player. Let you judge based on the actions.

3 - Obstruction by the defense for impeding the progress of the runner without possession of the ball or making the initial play on a batted ball. Even if the runner just goes back to 1st base, umpires can award 2nd or even 3rd base if that is what the runner would have gotten if she was not impeded. I am guessing at a minimum give the runner 2nd if the ball was in the gap and went to the fence.

4 - Would say this falls under the same rules as 2. Minimum if you have girls grabbing each other and tossing them around would be an offical warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.

A lot of stuff going down in this game
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
Going to give these a go... MTR, Comp et al can correct if I am wrong (we all learn that way :) )


1- 1st base coaches box is not lined. Foul pop up. Coach doesnt move and fielder has to stop and go around him. Comes close but doesnt make the catch


Coach must vacate. If the umpire judges a catch could have been made, runner closet to home would be out (or batter if no runners).


Art 3.5.1.5
ART. 5 . . . Offensive team personnel, other than the base coach, shall not be near a base to which a runner is advancing or returning; nor shall anyone fail to vacate any area (including a coach's box) needed by a fielder in an attempt to put out a batter or runner.
PENALTY: (Art. 5) The ball is dead. The runner closest to home is out and all runners not out must return to the last base touched at the time of the interference.
EXCEPTION: If a thrown live ball accidentally touches a base coach in the coach's box, or a pitched or thrown ball touches an umpire, the ball is live and in play.

8-6-16
A runner is out when:
ART. 16 . . . Any coach or member of the offensive team, other than a runner, interferes with a defensive player's opportunity to make a play. This includes, but is not limited to:...examples deleted
PENALTY: (Art. 16) The ball is dead and the runner closest to home plate at the time of the interference shall be declared out. Each other runner must return to the last base touched at the time of the interference.



Now 3.5.6 says:
ART. 6 . . . Offensive team members (excluding a runner or retired runner) shall not interfere with a fair batted ball or foul fly ball.
PENALTY: (Art. 6) The ball is dead immediately and the batter is out. If, in the judgment of the umpire, the interference prevented a possible double play, the batter and runner closest to home shall be declared out. Other runners shall be returned to the last base touched at the time of interference. (7-4-12; 7-5-4; 8-6-16)
However in this case the coach hasn't touched the ball or interfered with it - and I am not sure Offensive Team Member means players or players and personnel/coaches and I can't find a case play that addresses this. Also 3.5.1.5 specifically addresses coaches vacating an area...


2 - runner is thrown out at 1B, runner crosses her arms and takes out the 1B who was still standing on the base (white portion of a double base)

Runner out obviously. If the umpire judges that the contact was intentional (and it sounds like it was), player ejected. Light contact is probably a whole lot of nothing, but you said 'take out' so sounds like an ejection.


3- batter hits one in the gap, takes the turn at 1B and colldes with the 1B standing in the baseline with her back to the BR. Batter is tripped on the play and goes back to 1B.

Umpire indicates delayed obstruction, runner is safe between the two bases. At the conclusion of the play umpire will place the runner on the base they judge the player would have reached safely if there was no obstruction. There is no automatic award of an extra base - obstruction just protects you between the base you passed and the next base. So it would depend on where the ball was fielded and how fast it got back in(Rule 2.36/8.4.3)


4- runner is safe at 1B. Overruns it and on her way back, 1B attempts to tag B-R, at which the B-R grabs her and throws her aside, remains on her feet.

Runner is safe. Now it is probably a 'had to be there' call. Umpire can judge whether the B-R deserves to be ejected or warned or it is a whole lot of nothing. Going to depend on what 'throws her aside' actually looked like. If she just kinda moved the 1B out of the way on the ay back to the bag, probably a nothing call. If she violently throws the girl aside, then ejected and a sub could come in to run for the ejected player.


All happened in one game. I agreed with some calls, disagreed with others and in some cases, didn't even know if it was a thing.


Sounds like a fun game....
 
Last edited:

obbay

Banned
Aug 21, 2008
2,199
0
Boston, MA
Thanks for the info!
In #1 I knew the coach should have vacated but i didnt find a rule.its a common sense thing, not unlike a batter getting out of the way when a catcher is attempting to nail a runner on a stolen base attempt. Fortunately the umpires called the batter out for coach interference (no runners on base) and the other team continued the game under protest (this was the first inning).

#2 and #4 were committed by the same player. (An overrated senior who will never play softball again after this season). Both were not in the same game but i had to ask. I thought she shouldve been ejected after #2 but the umps instead chose to give her and the coach, warnings. #4 was just a punk-@ss, no-class move that the other coach thought she should be ejected for. I would have liked to see that but the umpire only gave her a warning. It was the same umpire both times, maybe he thought this case was borderline.

#3- i had a brain fart. Kid who was obstructed was another overrated senior who knows how to smile at the coach and will never play softball again after this season. This is a case of coaches and players not knowing how to play the game. People were asking me why she wasnt awarded 2B, but i didnt see the whole play. I didnt see the ump signal or call obstruction, and i remembered afterward that the obstruction call is one if those delayed things that, as one of you said, protects the runner between the obstruction and the base she wouldve had without the obstruction, but she has to go for it (or so i thought) i didnt know if they also would award the base without going for it and being thrown out.

DD, (who is sitting out her senior year) and i went to check out the game and it was the first HS game ive attended this year. Im rusty on my recollection of the game, but it was entertaining!
 
Last edited:
May 30, 2013
1,442
83
Binghamton, NY
#4 is a tough one.
The play is "instigated" by the fielder unnecessarily tagging a safe baserunner returning to 1B.
Was it an aggressive move? a "hard tag" attempt?
Not condoning the baserunner's actions, but she was provoked unnecessarily.
If I was umpire, I wouldn't eject for this. Issue a warning to both players and move on.
 

obbay

Banned
Aug 21, 2008
2,199
0
Boston, MA
. #4 is a tough one.
Yeah, if the kid didnt have a reputation of being “chippy”, i may not have given it a second thought. Also as has been noted by others, its hard to call without being there. She has a lot of attitude and i dont have tolerance for attitude, so my application of the rules in this case might be harsher than an unbiased 3rd party.
 

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