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Apr 28, 2019
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Ok looking for opinions.
Let me 1st say in both instances out player made a bad decision and put themselves in a bad position
1st play our runner rounds 3rd and stops half way in between 3rd & home, she should have kept running but hesitated, the play was a ground ball and the fielder threw to 1st for the out. 1st baseman comes charging over and literally tackles our player for the out.
Next inning my daughter hit to the hole at SS and beat the throw. She mistakenly turns into fair territory and gets thrown to the ground as she’s being tagged out.
When did tagging a runner morph into tackling a runner?
Anyway our fans were going nuts and the opposing coach & ump said nothing to the linebacker playing 1st.
I was giving Blue a ball that was hit out of play and asked why no warning to player or coach? His response was it was a legal play. This team has no class and their coaches always argue every little call. At the very least I would expect the coach to tell his player to take it easy. I’m ok with a hard tag so the ump can see it but not ok with girls bring thrown to the ground.
We crushed them just the same and hopefully we will see them again real soon.
I will say my daughter got another hit a couple of innings later and the 1st baseman apologized. That tells me she knows she did something wrong.
 
Apr 16, 2013
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I think sometimes it could just come down to a larger/stronger player wanting to make sure they make that tag. I've seen it sooooo many times, that a player MAKES a tag, and the umpire calls the player safe. My DD is a catcher. She is overpowering compared to most girls. She looks like she's 130lbs, but she's a dedicated weight lifter and actually weighs closer to 160. She shuts her glove closed with one hand and tags with both hands/arms. Often times I'm reminded of the phrase, "What happens when an object in motion meets an immovable force". Even a small push to make sure the tag is applied looks more like a strong shove. Her tag has never meant to bowl anyone over or sweep them off their feet, it's just making sure the tag is applied and the ball cannot be removed from her glove.
 

TMD

Feb 18, 2016
433
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Next inning my daughter hit to the hole at SS and beat the throw. She mistakenly turns into fair territory and gets thrown to the ground as she’s being tagged out.

I know this isn't the point of your post, but I was under the impression that as long as the runner didn't make a move towards second, simply turning left into fair territory instead right into foul after running through 1B doesn't put the runner at risk of being tagged out. Your can turn either way as long as you're just going back to the base. Note this is different than rounding first, but I don't think that was the case here.
 
Apr 28, 2019
1,423
83
I know this isn't the point of your post, but I was under the impression that as long as the runner didn't make a move towards second, simply turning left into fair territory instead right into foul after running through 1B doesn't put the runner at risk of being tagged out. Your can turn either way as long as you're just going back to the base. Note this is different than rounding first, but I don't think that was the case here.
She said she heard somebody yell go to 2nd. Not sure of the official rule but we were taught to always turn right into foul territory on a close play to 1st. She didn’t make a move to 2nd just turned left and then started to make her way back to 1st. The coaches on the other team were going nuts yelling tag her tag her!!!
 
May 6, 2015
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similar play to one of our girls last night, deep hit to OF cleared two BR off bases, batter going to 3rd, slides, is tagged hard in shoulder/throat/helmet (tag moved as she slid) called out (she was), ended game (top of 6th, we were behind). happens, nothing malicious, probably a little over anxious on part of 3B, and probably a little fear too (this was one of the bigger girls on the field, very strong).

btw, coaches yelling to tag her are idiots, and so apparently was the Ump, you have to make a move towards 2B, not just turn around that way (unless she actually did move towards 2B)
 
Nov 18, 2015
1,585
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A lot depends on the age.

My oldest played one year of softball in 5th grade. Only one year, probably b/c early in the season, on a ground ball to the IF, the 1B caught the throw, stepped on 1B, and then decided to also tag the runner (my daughter). I don't think I need to remind anyone of the potential size (and skill) differences that can occur in 5th grade. Needless to say, my daughter was on the losing end of the size battle, and when combined with the 1B probably being around average skill-wise, her (unnecessary) tag became more of a shove, with my daughter not only ending up on the ground, but with a buckle-fracture of her wrist from the way she fell.

So again, it depends on the age - younger (bigger?) kids just don't always have the awareness of the amount of force they're using (not only with a tag - how many times are we duck and covering when a player decides to surprise us with a full-on throw from 5 feet away?)

I will say my daughter got another hit a couple of innings later and the 1st baseman apologized. That tells me she knows she did something wrong.
MadBandit - I'm not sure you can assume that - how many times have you accidentally bumped into somebody, and apologized even if it wasn't all your fault? I think it's a bit of a jump to say "she knows she did something wrong", when she may have just meant "hey, sorry I couldn't stop in time, wasn't trying to knock you over on that last play".

But yeah - how to apply a tag seems to be one of those "basics" that often gets overlooked.
 

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