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Speaking ASA
If you want to be picky, a voluntary release is not necessarily required for a catch to be valid. Read the definition of Catch in Rule 1. The player showing complete control of the ball is enough.
The voluntary release is an additional method to validate the catch. If it were a requirement, balls dropped on the exchange would, by rule, for the umpire to rule an already retired safe which would contradict 1.CATCH.A.
Again, there is nothing in the rule to support a safe call as the original scenario specifically states that the tag was made while F2 was in possession of the ball.
BTW, there is also nothing in the book mentioning or requiring the defender to "complete" a play to validate the actions during it.
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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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