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"And, unless the C had 8' tenacles...er, arms, there would be no reason for the runner to have a sudden "change of direction".
I wish you were there Mike cause it appears I am not good at painting the picture.
Let me remind everybody that this was a pool game and involved better than average teams. Even though they were 7 and 8 year old girls they played very well. Most on the team from my home town played travel ball all year long and had very good coaches. Anyway, the catcher did everything right in getting to the ball fast etc. The runner did a good job avoiding the tag without going more than 3' away when the fielder was making a tag attempt.
A while after the game was over and most folks had already left the field (the last thing I want to happen is to be seen talking to the winning team) the runner (whom I knew from when I was coaching) told me she saw another girl do the same thing she did and the umpire called her safe too. I told her I felt very good about the safe call and the visiting coach was not only wrong but a bad sport. Only one time in two years as a coach did I question a call. It was in an important and close game and I though the throw to first was there in plenty of time. But all I did was say "Com'on ump she was out" After the inning was over he came over to me and said Coach your first baseman was bobbling the ball. I told him I didn't see that from the angle I was at and quickly realized I was wrong. Even my player told me the ball was moving in her glove. I felt like an idiot and learned a lesson. Rambling on. Back to the reply...
There was a need to quickly change direction to avoid the tag because the fielder was close to the base-line and the runner was close to the fielder when she started her swipe tag. The tag attempt was made just as the runner was starting to pass her. If she didn't move to the outside edge of the running path she realized she may have gotten tagged out. As it turned out the tag attempt was not really that close, but if the runner did not move she likely would have been swipe-tagged out.
Hey mcrowder ..."when the runner FIRST veered off of her direct line to the plate, was the ball still on it's way to the catcher, or was it in the possession of the catcher".
..The ball was already in the cathers glove at the time the runner started to veer away from the impending tag to come.
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