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Don just hit on an item no one else touched on yet and that is slow pitch, which more commonly plays short-handed than fast pitch teams.
There is no rule which requires a particular number of defensive players to be in the field of play, just where those out there must be located at the time of the pitch.
However, in all styles of ASA play, it is an illegal pitch. And in this scenario, the batter and all runners would have advanced at least one base, therefore nullifying the illegal pitch. In slowpitch, it is nullified the instant the batter offers at the pitch.
And if someone will not accept this argument, there is the standard 10.1.L, "The umpire will not penalize a team for any infraction of a rule when imposing the penalty would be an advantage to the offending team." In this case, it would be.
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The bat issue in softball is as much about liability, insurance and litigation as it is about competition, inflated egos and softball.
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