View Single Post
  #3 (permalink)  
Old Tue Jul 11, 2017, 10:20am
IRISHMAFIA IRISHMAFIA is offline
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: USA
Posts: 14,565
Quote:
Originally Posted by Little Jimmy View Post
Here are two potential obstruction situations that happened on my field this weekend. Both seem easy but after thinking (and re-thinking) I'm still asking your opinions. Maybe I'm missing something.

1. Batter pops a little blooper in between F1, F3 and F4. Ball hits ground and F1 takes control. Both F3 and F4 head toward 1st base. F3 gets there first and sets up for the throw but F4 drifts about 3-4 feet behind the orange bag. It's a close play with B1 being called out, but as she takes her final stride to the bag she hits orange and immediately makes a sharp right, potentially because she sees F4 standing a few feet in front of her. Obstruction?
No, not as described. Unless there is something that happened prior to the base that you are not mentioning, it is nothing.

Quote:

2. The typical situation where F3 is standing next to 1st batse when the ball is hit to the outfield with no play being made at 1st. Some runners try to hit the inside corner and have to do a swerve step to avoid F3. Other runners seem to accept that F3 is cutting off the inside portion of the bag and take a much wider turn, but with no real visible change in their running motion. So, is the fact that F3 is setting up on the corner enough to call obstruction? Or do I need to see a real deviation in the way the runner moves around 1st?
If the runner isn't impeded or makes a notable change in their selected path, it is nothing. If the runner is impeded by the defender's presence, it is OBS and the runner should be protected and awarded the appropriate bases.
__________________
The bat issue in softball is as much about liability, insurance and litigation as it is about competition, inflated egos and softball.

Last edited by IRISHMAFIA; Wed Jul 12, 2017 at 09:27am.
Reply With Quote