[MD Longhorn]

Mid-level ASA Men's Slowpitch league. I umpire fastpitch, so sometimes have trouble with slowpitch rules.

Last night we successfully appealled a runner who missed second base in the 1st inning. Pitcher of the other team has been a poor sport for 2 years now, and decides after that that he's going to appear EVERY SINGLE TIME a runner goes more than a base.

My first question - is there anything umpires can do to stop this sort of behavior.

My second question - does throwing the ball from the mound to a base to make an appeal count as putting the ball back in play. In one case, after I hit a double, pitcher threw to first to appeal that I'd missed (I didn't) and the throw got away. I sprinted to 3rd, and was promptly put back at second. I didn't think about it until later, but this felt wrong.

Now, the nitty-gritty... After the first 5 or 6 appeals, he stops throwing the ball to the base and simply points to the base and says appeal, and the umpire obliges him by indicating safe each time. I'm batting during one of these instances and I mumble something to blue about - "Doesn't he have to throw it to make an appeal", and am told no. Again - this felt wrong, but I didn't put up a fight because this nonsense was taking forever in a TIMED game. Unfortunately, in that very at bat, I hit a sac fly. Pitcher appeals that the runner left third early (pointing, not throwing), and blue calls my runner out.

I honestly have no idea whether he left early. The ball was deep enough that he certainly didn't have to - it was a jog home, and my coach says he didn't, but I wasn't looking at him. I strongly suspect he made this call just to shut the pitcher up.

Final questions - should umpire have called him out without an actual throw over?

How would you all A) as a player, and B) as an umpire handled this situation.