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Isn't the concept of "passed a base" a way of saying the runner does not have to touch the base as long as s/he covers the distance to the base and at some point is in the air space of the base?
Is "passed a base" synonymous with "reached a base"?
If those are true, does it matter whether the hand or foot is on the top of the base ("passed" the leading edge) or just touching the side of the base?
The wording of returning to a base possibly is because, like a lot of other rules, based on a specific visualization or case; with the principle applying more broadly.
So, if the returning to a base principle really means having contact with the base after "passing/reaching"; then we should consider that the OP runner is safe from appeal. Also, we have to look at rules that were written before double bags were added in that light, IOW what did it mean when we only had a single bag.
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Officiating takes more than OJT.
It's not our jobs to invent rulings to fit our personal idea of what should and should not be.
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