[jkumpire]

Hi folks, need your assistance. Please note, cross-posted on Umpire-Empire.

Midwestern college wood bat league, pretty good quality of play. R1, 1 out, count doesn't matter. LH batter swings at inside pitch, gets a piece, F2 comes up in my view and blocks me out, and the next time I see the ball it's rolling down the 1B line a pretty good clip.

I look the batter, he gives no sign or expression of the ball hitting his foot on leg. He takes 2 steps up the line, stops, and the manager in the 3B box starts yelling "it hit him, foul ball". I didn't blink, but I had no view of the play.

I let the play end, killed the ball and went to my partner immediately. I asked him "Did you see the ball hit the batter's foot?" His answer was in essence, "No I didn't".

I turned around called the out, and got an earful from the offense HC, which was expected. They were winning 6-0 at the time, and won 7-0, but I am troubled by the play. My question: If you are blocked and can't see the ball hit the ground, obviously you look to see what the batter does, but if he gives nothing away do you call it foul based only on the reaction of the ball?

I ask because the dirt immediately around the plate was soft, as opposed to the rest of the dirt circle around the rest of the plate, so a ball could act like it hit a foot, but it didn't. I had no foul ball, my partner had no foul ball, we have an out.

What say you? and ask for any other information about it I can give you.