I posted this scenario that happened in a game I did this weekend in a softball umpires FB group, but didn't really receive a satisfactory answer. Maybe some of you can weigh in:
"USA, 16u, 0 outs, no runners on base. Batter hits a towering pop up to F6, runs to first and touches the base. Assuming the ball has been caught, she proceeds to trot back towards home to retrieve her bat. Meanwhile, the ball drops and F6 throws the ball to F3. Alerted to her mistake about halfway down the line, the BR runs back to first but is tagged by F3 before she gets there for the out. My question is, had F3 simply touched first base before the BR returned, would that also be an out?
8.2.B reads she is out if being put out “prior to reaching first base.”
8.2.H doesn’t apply because her retreat was not to avoid a tag.
8.7.C retreating from a base re-establishes the force seems to apply to runners, not necessarily a BR and 1st base
So again, would F3 just need to touch the base, or was the tag necessary? Just a weird one that happened yesterday. Pretty sure out either way, tag or touch base, but wanted to be sure. Thanks."
I received lots of, "well, 8.7.C should apply", and some definitive, "it doesn't". So I am still left wondering, in the above scenario, was the tag the only way to get the out there?
"USA, 16u, 0 outs, no runners on base. Batter hits a towering pop up to F6, runs to first and touches the base. Assuming the ball has been caught, she proceeds to trot back towards home to retrieve her bat. Meanwhile, the ball drops and F6 throws the ball to F3. Alerted to her mistake about halfway down the line, the BR runs back to first but is tagged by F3 before she gets there for the out. My question is, had F3 simply touched first base before the BR returned, would that also be an out?
8.2.B reads she is out if being put out “prior to reaching first base.”
8.2.H doesn’t apply because her retreat was not to avoid a tag.
8.7.C retreating from a base re-establishes the force seems to apply to runners, not necessarily a BR and 1st base
So again, would F3 just need to touch the base, or was the tag necessary? Just a weird one that happened yesterday. Pretty sure out either way, tag or touch base, but wanted to be sure. Thanks."
I received lots of, "well, 8.7.C should apply", and some definitive, "it doesn't". So I am still left wondering, in the above scenario, was the tag the only way to get the out there?