[IRISHMAFIA]

Well, I was all ready to post the following:

"Sorry, but in ASA the run counts.
Rule 5.5.B.3 NOTE: An appeal can be made after the third out in order to nullify a run.
This is not an appeal play, and there is nothing else in the rule book which would support nullifying the run."

And then I open up my case book and on page 5-3, there is play 5.5-7 which does support substituting a "force out" for the previously made third out, thus nullifying the run.

As I noted, there is nothing in the rule book, including the POE, to support this ruling and I still question it. Next week, there will be a guest instructor at the Delaware ASA State Umpire School. He is a member of the National Staff who is fundamental in producing the case book and I fully intend to bring this question to him.

As far as myself previously supporting such a play, I believe if you go back an read the play you will find that it involved a missed base "fourth out appeal", not the continuance (is that a word?) of a play.

Remember, in baseball and some softball rules, a runner can be considered to have "abandoned" the base to which they are advancing or entitled to if they discontinue their effort. In ASA, no such rule exist as a runner must enter dead ball territory to be ruled out for abandonment. If this is the case, then I can accept the throw to first as an appeal play. But if the runner is just slow, I don't believe the fourth out appeal would apply.

Though my opinion, I will make a serious attempt to see what the man who puts the book together has to say.