[John Robertson]

This play happened in a girls' game last Saturday afternoon where the skill level was not very high:

Bases loaded. Ground ball hit to the third baseman. She throws to the plate for what should be an easy force out. However, the catcher drops the ball. The runner decides not to slide and attempts to score standing up. She clearly runs by home plate, missing it completely. The catcher still has her foot planted on the plate when she finally picks up the ball with her bare hand. The plate umpire, who is somewhat inexperienced, immediately calls out. Nobody argues.

I was umpiring first base. When the inning ended, I quietly spoke to the plate umpire and said, in my opinion, that was technically an appeal play because the runner clearly would have been safe if she had touched the plate. Therefore, the catcher should have indicated that she was now making an appeal instead of a simple force play. I have talked to two "veteran" umpires since then. Both have said, "Yes, it's technically an appeal play, but given the skill level of the players, I would have called out without any type of appeal." Your comments, please.