...coming out of the dugout to coach her players during a playing action? This took place during a HS girls softball supersectional game in Illinois. Unfortunately, I'm a retired HS baseball umpire and not familar w/FED softball rules. I was not at the game but here's an excerpt from the paper (yes, this made the local paper):
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But it's the game's ending that will have fans speculating for some time.
The (Sandburg) Eagles trailed 2-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Burns got a strikeout to open the frame, but Sandburg's number nine hitter, senior second baseman Katie Pistello, lined a 1-1 pitch to left for a single.
Senior catcher Ashley Conrad then drew a five-pitch walk to put runners at first and second. Senior center fielder Jami Duncan flew out to junior Ashley Linhart in center for the second out. Pistello tagged up and advanced to third, sliding in ahead of the throw.
At some point, (Lincoln Way) Griffin coach Aimee Lonigro came out of the dugout toward third base to apparently question the call.
While Lonigro was there, only a foot from the foul line, Conrad took off from first and went to second.
East junior third baseman Lyndsey Slawkowski threw the ball to senior shortstop Alisa Goler at second as Conrad slid in safely. In the process, Pistello decided to break for home. But an alert Goler fired the ball to junior catcher Brianna Lizen, who survived a collision with Pistello to end the game.
"Everyone was looking and paying attention and did a good job of not going crazy," Goler said. "I still don't know what the ruckus was over at third base, but luckily we were focused. That has killed us all year -- someone advancing on us and not paying attention.
"I heard (Conrad) sliding and didn't even look at her, I figured they'd be going home. I saw (Pistello) break and gunned it home. As soon as I threw it I knew she was out. It couldn't have ended any better."
Lizen was ready for the throw.
"I saw her going, I had my knee down and I knew I needed to make that tag to win the game," said Lizen, who had the ball in plenty of time to tag Pistello, who did everything she could to knock it free. "I wasn't surprised that she went with all the commotion going on. They're a good team and push hard to get the extra base."
The question was should the runners have even been allowed to move or was there a time out on the field?
Sandburg coach Jim Fabianski vehemently argued that time should have been called once Lonigro came out to the field and the play should have been dead at that point.
With the Griffins already celebrating, Fabianski directed Pistello and Conrad to go back to their respective bases.
The three umpires got together, but after a conference they ruled the game was over and East had won.
That decision didn't sit well with Fabianski or assistant coach Theresa Zambuto, who continued to follow the umpires down the left field line to plead their case.
Afterward, Lonigro pleaded her case that she wasn't out to argue the call at third.
"I was out there telling my third baseman to put the tag down," Lonigro said. "I was excited and I thought we were going to throw her out at three.
"As far as I was concerned I was out (of the dugout) before the ball was even to third base. It's something I've done all year. Many times I'm running down the baseline with the kids and all kinds of stuff. I didn't stop (Pistello) from going home."
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Going by what was reported, it doesn't seem that the defensive (Lincoln Way) coach's presence on the field affected what the offensive and defensive players did so I agree with the umpires - game over. Just wondering if there was a FED rule that might apply because the coach came out. I look forward to your insights and a link to the full article is here:
http://www.starnewspapers.com/orland...076sx2.article