[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

MTD, Jr. (aka MTDv2.0) and I umpired in a girls' (10U, 12U, and 14U) FP tournament this past weekend (Saturday and Sunday only). Saturday's games were rained out so the entire tournament was played on Sunday. The 14Us played NFHS Softball Rules but the 10Us and 12Us played Little League Softball Rules; in other words, this was not an ASA or USSSA sanctioned tournament, but I digress. It was a long day which started at 08:00am; there was a shortage of umpires and all of the games except the championship games were single umpire games. Mark and I umpired five games as solo umpires and then umpired the 14U championship game at the end of the day.

Buy my third game of the day was a 10U game and I did not see the starting pitcher (RHP) for the Home Team take her warm up pitches before the start of the game because I was in the dressing room readjusting my knee brace. The H starting pitcher could have passed as a 13 year old (her coach later confirmed that she would be playing 12U next year).

LL Softball Rule 8.01-(h) states: "In the act of delivering the ball, the pitcher may take one step with the non-pivot foot simultaneously with the release of the ball. The step must be forward and toward the batter within or partially within the 24 inch length of the pitcher's plate."

Starting with her very first pitch, she stepped to her left at a 45 degree angle from the straight line from HP to 2B, and it landed at least 6 inches to the left of the 24 inch length of the pitcher's plate. I did not call IPs on her first 4 pitches because they were balls and the Visitors' HC never complained. But when continued to pitch that way to the second batter I stopped the game and asked her HC to join me in the circle. I explained the situation to the HC and he explained it to his pitcher. And yet she still couldn't pitch legally. She pitched that way for 2-1/2 innings and then her took her out. I never called an IP and the Visitor's never complained even though they lost the game.

I told the pitcher's HC that if she was going to play ASA as a 12U she needed to correct it because in the tournaments in which MTD, Jr., and I umpire, the umpires will call IPs from her very first pitch and it will be called until she corrects it or she is removed from the F1 position. He gave me that blank look stare as if to say, what I am supposed to do?

This was a season ending tournament and not a very big one. It was going to be and was a long hot day. This was a situation where one just had to bite the bullet and not get overly officious. Fortunately, Mark, Jr., and I did not see this team the rest of the day.

MTD, Sr.