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I am PU, we have R1 and R2. Ground ball to F6. F6 tosses to F4 at second. BU verbally calls R1 out, but then sees F4 bobble ball, and give a safe signal. Now the fun, I am slightly up the 3B line, initially watching for any FPSR violation at 2B. I see the bobble, see the safe signal, then notice that R2 is rounding 3B. F4 gets control of the ball and tosses to F5. Now we have a possible rundown, F5 tosses to F2, but F2 is slow to get ball back to F5 and R2 slides into 3B. After a quick glance at BU I moved up and got position to call R2 safe at 3B. As I walk back toward home, I check the other runners and only see a runner at second. I look further and see a runner walking toward the dugout about 10' from 1B foul line. Stupid me, I think this runner is the kid that hit the ball to F6. My mind is trying to understand why he is not at 1B. Here is where I had to make a split second decision, because both opposing coaches are yelling at their players. I call runner walking toward dugout, out for abandoning his base, and leave R2 and third and R1 at second. Here comes defensive coach, wanting me to call R1 out for passing preceding runner. It is only now that I realize that the kid walking into the dugout was R1 and when he heard the original verbal out, he began to walk off the field. R1 did not see the nonverbal safe signal. I did not see R1 walking of field since I had the play along 3B line. So, pulling it out of my a$$, I told defensive coach, that the R1 was out for abandonment and when the BR passed him, he was already out. This is why BR could not be called out for passing R1. Defensive coach was fine with it, and offensive coach was just glad his BR was on 2B. No harm, no foul.
Any suggestions as to how I should of handled this? I felt bad that I did not know R1 was the kid walking to the dugout, but I was preoccupied with the potential rundown.
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