I need a straight answer on this...

[tguwarrior]

Semifinals of our tournament last weekend. I had a runner on 2, she's got wheels. I have my batter bunt, she lays it down well. It falls dead in front of the plate and spins. I watched 3rd field the ball, pull up, and throw to 1st so I focused on wheels who had already rounded 3rd and I tell her to go home. As I'm watching her cross the plate and telling her she is up I hear the ball hit the fence. I turn to 1st and my batter had ran through the bag hard then turned to go to 2 because I have coached them to turn their head to the right and look at the fence as they are closing in on 1st and she saw that there was a bad throw. It's quicker if they see it themselves than if they stop running and wait for the 1st base coach to tell them to go.

I don't remember seeing a fielder at 1st but it all happens so fast there very well could have been someone there. I watch her run to 2 and tell her she's up and nice bunt. Home plate umpire calls time and talks with base ump. I can't tell what the problem is but they are in disagreement about something. After a lengthy chat the umpire calls my batter out for obstruction because she ran through the white bag and not the orange one. We were winning pretty big and we started the bottom of the inning with about 4 minutes left to play so I thought to myself that I should just let it go. I got back to my spot at 3rd and I thought about it. My player needs to know what she did wrong. Hell, I need to know what she did wrong. I called time and asked blue if there was even a fielder there to obstruct, he said there was. Of course from out of the dugout that is right beside me I hear someone say "he's just trying to run out the clock on us..." I turned and shot the guy a look. Why do people say things like that? The fact of the matter is we gave up 3 or 4 hits over the 2 games that we had with them last weekend and we aren't even that good of a team. We dominated every aspect of both games and they acted like I was cheating for asking a question. People....

My assistant was coaching 1st, after the game he said there was no fielder there, he said the closest defensive player was the right fielder who had moved in to back up 1. My batter said that there was a fielder there, but she was standing on the orange bag. Again, everyone saw the same thing happen, they saw it how they saw it and to them that's the way it is. I honestly have no idea what really happened.

I guess I have 2 questions:

1. If there is no one there to make a play at 1st, and therefore no one to obstruct, can obstruction be called on my batter if she doesn't use the orange bag?

2. If there is a fielder there and she is set up on the orange bag can my batter use the white one or does she have to lower her shoulder and run through the defensive player risking an injury to herself and more than likely seriously injuring the girl trying to make the play on her?

Like anything else the 6 or so people I have asked gave me about 18 different answers. The umpires who worked the game didn't even agree on it. Can anyone here straighten me out on this?

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

I think the whole point of the extra orange bag in foul territory is to prevent a wreck and is for the safety of the players. If the throw pulled the 1st baseman onto the orange bag, the batter/baserunner can use the white portion of the bag. I don't know how the umpires can call obstruction on her if the play happened as you explained.

As a side note, on defense, if the ball in in fair territory, I have my 1st baseman set-up on the white bag. If the ball is coming from home plate in foul territory (e.g. DTS), I have my 1st baseman set-up on the inside portion of the orange bag. In your play, it must have a been a very wild throw for the 3rd baseman who is throwing from fair territory (bunt at home plate) and the ball sails hard against the fence near 1st base?

Why was the right fielder covering 1st base on the bunt? If 1st base crashed to cover the bunt, shouldn't the 2B have been covering 1st? Something is missing here?

 

[tguwarrior]

I think right field had moved in for back up, not to cover the bag.

I had the feeling, and still do, that it was a mercy call.

 

[Comp]

First off, the offense interferes, defense obstructs. You say the bunt was dropped right in front of the plate and then mention your batter/runner touching the white portion of the base. Did your runner run in the running lane? If not, they may have interfered with the catch of the ball at 1st base. That may be why she was called out.

As for the double base, the offense can use the colored portion if the throw is coming from foul territory, or if the throw pulls the defense onto the colored portion. If the ball was in fair territory and throw coming from fair territory, the defender should have been on the white portion of the base. Again, dont know, you didnt see play, your base coach apparently didnt see it either and your runner had a different version than your base coach. Based on what the umpire told you I would guess your batter/runner was called out for being out of the running lane.

If he told you she was out for touching the white portion of the base, that is an appeal play that must be made by the defense. It is not an automatic out.

 

[tguwarrior]

If he told you she was out for touching the white portion of the base, that is an appeal play that must be made by the defense. It is not an automatic out.

That is what he told me. Perhaps that's what the disagreement between the umpires was about.

 

[Comp]

If that was his reasoning he was wrong. The defense must appeal that to the umpire. Also, if as your batter/runner told you, the defensive player was standing on the colored portion of the bag, where was she suppose to run?

 

[tguwarrior]

Also, if as your batter/runner told you, the defensive player was standing on the colored portion of the bag, where was she suppose to run?

That is why I'm here asking. The one thing that has been constant in all of the answers I've got back from people I know is that she should have played linebacker and ran over top of the girl standing on the orange bag. Other parts of their answers would be different, that was the only thing that stayed the same.

If that happens my player is risking injury and she's certainly going to injure the defensive player, I don't want either to happen. The girls didn't sign up for rugby, I can't see telling them to walk on the field and hurt people.

 

[Comp]

Who ever is telling you your batter should have run over the girl are equally as wrong as the umpire. Unavoidable collisions do happen, but there is never any reason to purposely run over someone.

 

[guero_gordo]

offense interferes
defense obstructs

One clear sign that your ump has an HUA credential is that he doesn't know the difference.

 

[Bjbkar]

you were up big and still bunting?