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Interesting play last night. Men's slow pitch (USSSA), C minor (in reality, more like D or worse) league play. Runner on 2nd, ground ball hit between F5 and F6. Runner runs toward 3rd. F5 lunges and reaches for the ball and it gets by him (under and to the side of his glove I think), and F6 (who is playing deep) fields the ball. Immediately (about 1/2 of a second) after the ball passed F5 and F5 was off-balance, the runner and F5 crashed violently (like two football players) though unintentionally, and both fell to the ground in obvious pain. F6 just held the ball and went to see if everyone was ok. All play stopped.
Because of the possible injury and the fact that play stopped, I (as BU) called a dead ball. [I know obstruction is only a delayed dead ball, but my instinct told me to call it dead because of the potential serious injury -- plus I was trying to figure out what call to make and replay the timing of the collision in my mind, as it was not clear cut.]
IMO, it was not interference because the ball was by F5 (if only by 1/2 of a second) when contact occurred and the runner -- despite being quite close to the fielder -- did not interfere with F5's slim chance to make a play. I felt it was obstruction because the ball had passed F5. I ruled obstruction and placed the runner at 3rd. Definite a HTBT play.
Mike, I seem to recall another post of yours re: a run-down that might have indicated a no-call here (which would have resulted in the runner being tagged out as he lay on the ground or otherwise called out because time was called). Maybe the runner should have gone around F5. Any thoughts?
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