[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

This happened a few days ago and resulted in a rather heated discussion after the game between the umpire and the defensive coach.

12 U fast pitch.
USSSA rules modified for league play.
League play, one umpire system (ugg).

Runners are first and second, zero out.

Batter his a ball that goes about 12 feet in the air and is coming down about halfway between the pitcher and 1st base. Pitcher attempts to run over and at full stretch (almost to the point of falling down), gets her glove on the ball but is unable to secure the catch. She then picks the ball up and throws to third where f5 is standing with her feet straddling the base. F5 catches the ball, but isn't touching the base, so the runner slides in safely.

The umpire does not rules this an infield fly. The dug out is not happy. The umpire's response is that the ball was not able to be caught with ordinary effort, therefore the infield fly rule doesn't apply. The dug out grumbled, but play continued. The game ended later that inning when the home teach reached the run ahead rule while at bat.

Following the game, an assistant coach for the defensive team comes out and confronts the umpire to the point the umpire tells him he will not continue the conversation because it contained inappropriate language. The head coach then comes over in a much calmer attitude to get an explanation. He doesn't agree, but sort of accepts the explanation.

One of his arguments is that anytime a popup has been hit during an IF situation, the umpires have immediately been calling it an IF off the bat.

Question, would you have called, the IF based on the description of the hit? I know it's a HTBT situation, to actually see the play, but I described it the best I could.

This game also had a player ejected. Early in the game, girl his a ball almost to the wall and is rounding third when the throw comes in to the cutoff, who throws a dart to the catcher. Catcher catches it in the left hand batters box and steps into the path of the runner, while holding the ball. Runner lowers her shoulder and plows over the catch, who did hang on to the ball (to her credit). The umpire rules her out on the tag and ejects her from the game for malicious contact. The team was using bat around rules and the players position was a declared out when she came up. This is one time the coaches agreed with the ejection. Apparently she has done this before and not been called out or ejected for running over the catcher. The coaches are hoping she will actually learn from being tossed and get over her desire to not slide.

Am I the only one here that would not call an IFF based upon what I highlighted in red?

MTD, Sr.