Batter second contact with fair ball.

[Daddio]

Hello fine folks. Any help would be appreciated. USSSA rules. What is the call?

Situation A. The batter swings and strikes the pitch which drops and stops right in front of the plate. Defense attempts to make a play, but the batter:

1. Begins to run to first, but with her first step (i.e. both feet have not left the batter’s box) kicks the ball away, and in the umpire’s judgment, the contact was unintentional.
2. Begins to run to first, but with her first step (i.e. both feet have not left the batter’s box) kicks the ball away, and in the umpire’s judgment, the contact was intentional.
3. With both feet in the box, drops the bat and knocks the ball away, and in the umpire’s judgment, the contact was unintentional.
4. With both feet in the box, drops the bat and knocks the ball away, and in the umpire’s judgment, the contact was intentional.
5. With both feet in the box, brings the bat back around to discard the bat, but knocks the ball away with the bat still in her hands, and in the umpire’s judgment, the contact was unintentional.
6. With both feet in the box, brings the bat back around to discard the bat, but knocks the ball away with the bat still in her hands, and in the umpire’s judgment, the contact was intentional.

Situation B. The batter swings and strikes the pitch which drops fair right in front of the plate, but bounces straight up in the air several feet. Defense attempts to make a play, but while the ball is in the air over fair territory, the batter:

1. Begins to run to first, but with both feet in the box, leans into the ball in the air (over fair territory) and knocks the ball away. In the umpire’s judgment, the contact was unintentional.
2. Begins to run to first, but with both feet in the box, leans into the ball in the air (over fair territory) and knocks the ball away. In the umpire’s judgment, the contact was intentional.
3. Begins to run to first carrying the bat in front of her, but with both feet in the box, leans and strikes the ball in the air with the bat (over fair territory) and knocks the ball away. In the umpire’s judgment, the contact was unintentional.
4. Begins to run to first carrying the bat in front of her, but with both feet in the box, leans and strikes the ball in the air with the bat (over fair territory) and knocks the ball away. In the umpire’s judgment, the contact was intentional.

Some rules I’ve found that may or may not be helpful.

• RULE 3. DEFINITIONS. BATTER. The offensive player whose turn it is to bat. The batter has completed their time at bat when they are put out or become a batter-runner.
• RULE 3. DEFINITIONS. BATTER-RUNNER. The batter-runner is a player who has finished their time at bat and has left the batter’s box (both feet touching completely outside the box) but has not yet been put out or reached first base.
• RULE 3. DEFINITIONS. FOUL BALL. A foul ball is a batted ball which...F. Touches the batter or the bat in the batter’s hand(s) a second time while the batter is still within the batter’s box.
• RULE 8. BASE RUNNING. Sec 4. A batter becomes a batter runner with the right to attempt to score by advancing to first, second and third and then home plate in the listed order when: A. Hitting a fair ball. NOTE: Batter becomes a runner when entitled to run.
• RULE 8. BASE RUNNING. Sec 17. The batter-runner is out: F. When they contact the ball a second time in fair or foul territory, if, in the Umpire’s judgment, the ball had a chance to become fair.
• RULE 7. BATTING. Sec 14. A batter shall be called out when:… F. After hitting or bunting a ball, the bat hits the ball a second time while the ball is on or over fair territory, or is on or over foul territory and, in the Umpire’s judgment, had a chance to become a fair ball, the ball is dead, no runner(s) advance and the batter is out. 14th Edition (2-18 Online revision) 39 EXCEPTION: If the bat and ball accidentally come in contact with each other a second time while the batter is holding the bat in the batter’s box, it is a foul ball. NOTE: If the batter drops the bat and the ball rolls against the bat in fair territory and, in the Umpire’s judgment, there was no intention to interfere with the course of the ball, the batter is not out and the ball is live and in play.

 

[marriard]

I may be mis-reading some the scenarios and some of the scenarios I am not sure how they could actually happen (especially A-5 and B-3) because I am not that flexible, so I am going to claim if I get one wrong I misread what was being asked.

In ALL case the player is out. Interference does not HAVE to be intentional. The fact that she is technically not a batter-runner doesn't matter. The player has interfered with a ball that has been hit fair and is in play and the defense has a chance at a play.

Also, if the umpire judges intent, it is always going to be interference and the player is out. Those ones are easy

Your scenarios would be different if the ball had come back and hit the batter during her swing motion (like when you foul a ball off your foot) or if the ball hits the bat a second time or the player as part of their swing motion, but that is not what you describe.

In A) the ball is stopped and fair and in B) the ball has bounced up fair and has not hit the player directly. Dead ball, interference and the player that caused the interference is out.

 

[Daddio]

Thank you marriard.

I wanted to provide my question with little context so that I didn't bias anyone. The question originates from a play where the batter bunted and began running to first. The ball bounced up and down in fair play and hit the batter's bat a second time (batter was still holding the bat in "bunting position" when she began running -- i.e. the B-3 scenario).

When protested, the TD stated that as long as the batter's feet were still in the box, the contact will always be foul (setting aside intentional contact). I stated that even if the batter was still in the box, the batter cannot interfere with a fair ball and should be out, whether she kicked it, leaned into it, or hit it with her bat.

 

[marriard]

Thank you marriard.

I wanted to provide my question with little context so that I didn't bias anyone. The question originates from a play where the batter bunted and began running to first. The ball bounced up and down in fair play and hit the batter's bat a second time (batter was still holding the bat in "bunting position" when she began running -- i.e. the B-3 scenario).

When protested, the TD stated that as long as the batter's feet were still in the box, the contact will always be foul (setting aside intentional contact). I stated that even if the batter was still in the box, the batter cannot interfere with a fair ball and should be out, whether she kicked it, leaned into it, or hit it with her bat.

This does not feel like it is B3 and not the scenario you described or at least not how I understood what you have written?

As you described above, the player bunted and the ball basically went straight down and then back into her bat while she has the bat still where it was bunted. This (in general) happens very quickly and is very common and is a foul ball and part of the swing.

If the ball bounced actually bounced 8 foot in the air (which is how I am reading Scenario B) and then came back down and hit the bat then that is clear interference no matter what the batter is doing just standing there instead of actually running.

How can she be running to first and have her bat where it was bunted if anytime has passed - it is either one or the other?

 

[Daddio]

This does not feel like it is B3 and not the scenario you described or at least not how I understood what you have written?

As you described above, the player bunted and the ball basically went straight down and then back into her bat while she has the bat still where it was bunted. This (in general) happens very quickly and is very common and is a foul ball and part of the swing.

If the ball bounced actually bounced 8 foot in the air (which is how I am reading Scenario B) and then came back down and hit the bat then that is clear interference no matter what the batter is doing just standing there instead of actually running.

How can she be running to first and have her bat where it was bunted if anytime has passed - it is either one or the other?

Sorry for any confusion in my description. Video would be worth a million words. She bunted the ball into fair play. It was actually a few feet down the first base line rather than straight out in front. She begins running to first, bat still in front of her (she had yet to discard it). The ball bounces up and hit the bat while one or both of her feet were arguably still in the batter's box, but the contact with the ball was clearly outside of the batter's box. This was not a bang-bang situation where the ball was bunted down and then directly back to the bat with the bat still where it was bunted. It was a completed bunt, an attempt to run, and then the bunted ball down first base line spun back and hit the bat in fair territory as she was about to leave the box. To be sure, it still all happens fairly quickly, but this takes a couple heartbeats more than the straight down and then back situation.

 

[Lozza]

If the contact happens while the batter is still in the batters box it is a dead ball and a strike is recorded.

If the contact happens outside the batters box, the player is out.