[Tru_in_Blu]

I'm recalling a play from last season and I'd like some inputs.

ASA 16U. I'm Plate Umpire in a 2-man game.

Two outs, R1 on 1B. B2 hits a liner that splits F7 and F8 and rolls to the fence. R1 is attempting to score. F2 is positioned in the basepath, about 12 feet up the line from HP. The relay throw is slightly inside the baseline and as F2 reaches for it, R1 slides into F2. The balls bounces off F2's glove about 4 feet towards the pitcher's circle.

At this point, I raised my left arm and verbalized "Obstruction!"

Meanwhile, B2 had rounded 2B and saw the ball get away from F2 and headed for 3B. F2 retrieved the ball and fired to F5. B2 was safe on a close play, which was called by BU who had properly trailed the play.

After F2 made the throw to F5, R1 got up and proceeded directly to her dugout on the 3B side of the field. She never did touch HP.

So now the dust has settled a bit, I call time out and both coaches approached me to figure out what had happened. I explained that I called obstruction of F2 for blocking the basepath without possession of the ball, and that the runner was awarded home. Of course the defense didn't care for that call and we danced around on that one for a while.

The Offensive coach then asked me if the run counts. Knowing that the runner never physically touched HP, I responded again by saying that the runner was awarded home. In the back of my mind, I'm wondering if the Defense will respond by appealing the runner missing the plate.

It basically ended there, and both coaches went back to their dugouts/buckets. And I'm thinking "let's get by the next pitch"!

So my questions:
1) Did R1, by leaving the field of play after the obstruction call, forfeit her right to come back onto the field and physically touch HP? Could she have come out of the dugout, walked over to HP and stepped on it legally?
2) Had the defense appealed prior to the next pitch, would R1 be out on appeal?
3) If the throw from F2 had sailed into left field and B2 scored, would 2 runs score? I.E. If defense appealed R1 missed HP, as the third out, subsequent run(s) would not count? Or, after the play, R1 could not go back to touch HP after a subsequent runner had scored?

I talked to a couple of other umps after the game. One of them was adamant that I should have killed the play at the point of obstruction. I maintained that the call is a delayed dead ball and while other action is going on, the play is still live. Another guy said that the runner is assumed to have touched the base so the run scores. He didn't seem to understand my question on the potential subsequent defensive appeal for missing HP.

Thanx for your interpretations.