Quote:
Originally posted by Stair-Climber
Was I correct in my ruling?
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NFHS.
You may have made the right call, but your "ruling" was not correct.
Just to limit the "what ifs" here, this is a thrown ball (not a batted ball) and the running lane did not come into play.
A fielder may position herself anywhere she darn well pleases.
A runner may take any base path to the base she darn well pleases. The runner has the right to any part of the base she wants - she does not have to take the part the defense "gives" her.
But, here is what these two cannot do:
The fielder cannot impede the progress of the runner unless she has the ball or is about to receive the ball. This is obstruction.
"About to receive" does not mean the same thing as "setting up to receive" or "ready to receive." It means the ball is closer to the fielder than the runner is.
Also, "impeding the progress" does not require contact. Blocking the base and causing the runner to divert or slow down is also "impeding the progress."
The runner, for her part, cannot collide standing up with a fielder who has the ball. This is interference.
If the ball and runner arrive at the same time, and contact is incidental contact - not obstruction, not interference.
It sounds, from your description, that the ball arrived just before the runner. Unless the fielder's position impeded the progress of the runner (caused her to slow / change path) prior to the arrival of the ball, then this cannot be obstruction. It may be interference, but since it sounds like a bang-bang play, chances are this was just incidental contact.