If you have the USA Softball rule book ... Rule 5, Section 11 (Tie-Breaker Rule).
Thanks! Not sure how I missed that when I looked.
If you have the USA Softball rule book ... Rule 5, Section 11 (Tie-Breaker Rule).
Rec leagues are one thing. State and National tournaments another. But for every other tournament I've done, which have been USA, USSSA, PONY & PGF, they've got really tight start times. And in every case I can remember, ITB starts after the time limit (no new inning starting after) or 7 innings, whichever comes first. Playing past 7 innings just because the time limit hasn't been reached seems to be a true waste of time.
Speaking of tight scheduling in most tournaments, the PGF qualifier we did had start times every 1 hour 40 minutes. When I saw the rules, I asked our assigners, "How the hell can you have "first pitch" start times 1:40 apart when you're playing 1:45, finish the inning, AND - because its double elimination - you have to have a winner, so ITB?"
Sometimes, tournament directors are a trip.
... and the clueless TD looked at you and said “Teams are told they need to be ready 30 minutes before their game time.”
I didn't feel like it was a waste of time to play to 9 innings without using the tie-breaker - I love a close game and there was no reason to try to rush it closed. We had time and daylight available.
Forgive the negative attitude I conveyed in my comment. I too love a close game, one that's played with full intensity where both the kids and fans are all in to it. No reason at all to not play that out to it's full conclusion.
My comment was born out of what has become as much a business as it is a sporting event. Once you hit 12U, but certainly at 14U and older, you'll find that time management is one of the top priorities at tournaments. 1:40, finish the inning (FTI), is usually as long a game that you'll find. Often 1:30, and in USSSA here, 1:20 FTI in pool play. I seldom see 7 innings, with most games ending in the 5th - sometimes the 6th. It sometimes seems like they're just moving the teams through the day.
And wait until you get into the "showcase" tournaments! While some have moved to a playoff format on Sunday, many still just play games. No pool play seedings, no "lose and go home" on Sunday. Just keep playing until the clock stops you (in many cases, it's finish the BATTER). Lots of disinterested players, plenty of disinterested parents. And they pay a fortune to play there. All hoping to be "discovered" by some big time coach who isn't even there. Unless you're lucky enough to get two teams who are looking forward to playing each other, you often get a game that's lacking in passion, with no intensity at all.
So, SquarePeg, enjoy the excitement and the fun of a full game that really means something to all of the people involved. As a coach, I dearly miss those days. As an umpire, most of these games are truly uninspiring.