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Sorry you had to go JV solo, I was in the same boat today for a JV triple-header. Did the first one one-man then got a slow pitch umpire to help with other two but meant I did all three behind the plate. At least it was a beautiful evening!
I agree with your call, the ball was alive and in play. I guess plays like this might be why NCAA now has the mechanic for PU to give a safe signal following strike three when the batter is not out.
I have no idea what the NFHS casebook play 8.1.1 Situation A Ruling (3) means where it says "..B3 should be declared out if...the half-inning ends because all infielders left the diamond." Huh? That makes no sense. So if the defense just runes off the field quickly on U3K the batter-runner is out? Hogwash, methinks.
The casebook gives a rule book reference of 8-2-4 which to paraphrase says the batter-runner is out when she fails to advance to first base and enters the team area. There is no mention of the defense leaving the field.
I guess there has to be a limit to when the batter-runner can still try to advance to first in a U3K scenario otherwise you could have a batter-runner fail to try for 1B (not realizing that the third strike was uncaught) and believing it to be the third out run out to her defensive position and wait for teammates (who also don't realize it's an U3K) to join her and bring her glove. The would be first batter for the other team (who also don't realize it's an U3K and all ran off the field) could be walking up to bat when this batter-runner who has never entered the team area suddenly gets it and runs over to 1B.
Sure it's a fantasy play but it begs the question as to when exactly does the batter-runner who has not entered the team area lose the right to try to advance to 1B. Perhaps NFHS editors made a poorly worded attempt to define this in a casebook play. I can't find anything in the actual NFHS or ASA rules that speaks to this.
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