[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by Rufus

First, thank you for your patience in helping me understand, and hopefully coach, the rules of baseball better. Your efforts are appreciated.

Had a situation this weekend coaching 12U. R1, no outs. Hard grounder hit to 3B who throws to 2B to start the double play (full disclosure, my kid was the 2B). 2B fields the ball while tagging the bag to force the runner then, as he transitions to throwing, gets his legs taken out by a sliding R1. The throw has nothing on it as a result and no out is recorded on the BR.

I didn't think anything of it at first as it looked like a MLB play and take out slide (R1 was in the baseline between 1st and 2nd, and maintained contact with 2B, but his momentum carried him past the front of the bag into the fielder who had set up on the back side of the base). I started thinking about contact between runners and catchers who had the ball (mainly that runners are not allowed to bowl through catchers who had the ball like they do in MLB), though, and asked for time to discuss it with the BU. The PU came and and said it was his call and he considered it a continuation of the play and nothing more. I was ok with that and we moved on.

Reading NFHS today I found the following:

8-4-2 - Any runner is out when he: (b) does not legally slide and causes illegal contact and/or illegally alters the actions of a fielder in the immediate act of making a play, or on a force play, does not slide in a direct line between the bases

That then leads me to 2-32-2 definition of an illegal slide: the runner goes beyond the base and then makes contact with or alters the play of the fielder

R1 was still in contact with the base when contact was made so I don't think it met the criteria for being an illegal slide, therefore there was nothing here beyond a typical baseball play. I wanted to check with you all to make sure I'm interpreting that correctly, however. I know there are special contact rules below OBR, mostly for catchers, but can't seem to find anything that would apply in this situation.

Thanks in advance.

I would have 2 outs, given that your sitch is a HTBT. However, the rule cited is not the one that matters. R1 cannot be out for this per the rule you cited... as R1 is already out.