[Mountaineer]

Originally Posted by Bluefoot

I had nearly this exact play last night. Men's ASA SP, one umpire.
BR hit ground ball between F3 and F4. Initially, both fielders went for the ball, then F3 let F4 have it, and F3 ran towards 1B to receive the throw from F4. F3 receives the throw on the run, a step away from the double bag at 1B, oversteps the white portion of the bag, and steps on the orange part. Then BR gets to 1B, where F3 is on the orange portion of of 1B. To avoid a collision with F3, BR steps on white portion as BR passes 1B. I call batter safe. BR returns to white portion. At no time did F3 tag BR. Defense wants to know why batter is not out, since F3 beat BR to 1B. I tell them that F3 used the orange portion, and since the play did not come from foul territory, F3 needed to touch the white portion. Then defense wanted to know why BR is safe, since BR touched the white portion of 1B when BR is supposed to touch the orange portion on the play. Defense did not make a live ball appeal before BR returned to 1B.

If defense had properly appealed that BR did not touch white portion of 1B before BR returned to 1B, should BR be called out, even though BR was avoiding a collision with F3, who is standing directly in BR's path, on top of orange portion? Obstruction can't be called on the initial play, since F3 had the ball. But F3 was not making a play on BR, since F3 did not try to tag the white portion of 1B, nor did F3 try to tag BR. But F3 is is preventing the BR from properly touching the orange portion of 1B, and F3 is trying to avoid a collision on the play. What is the proper call on this play and appeal?

This is why I do not like a D1b. I have very little experience with it but that doesn't keep me from having an opinion (which may be dead wrong). IMO, if the defender took the orange portion of the bag, I would think that would give the offense the right to the white portion - or at the very least I would treat it as an overrunning of the bag and they are safe when they come back to the white, thus there would be no appeal. It seems like you would be punishing the offense for defensive misconduct. I do agree that the runner is not out since the def. missed the white - but I do not see anyway of punishing the runner either.