Originally Posted by chapmaja
HS JV game (NFHS rules) . I am the BU on both of these plays.
Play 1: 0 out, R1 on 3rd, R2 on 2nd, B3 hits a ground ball pretty slow to the 3rd base side of the pitchers plate. F1 reaches down, attempts to pick it up and deflects it towards F6. The ball is well short of F6 with a rather quick B2 now the batter-runner. R1 runs in front of F6 and there is contact. I, as the BU see the contact, but do not feel F6 has any chance to make an out so I rule this incidental contact and play on. My PU has a DDB signal. After the play ends, we come together. He says he has obstruction. Did I see anything different. I say no, but at this point we have the defensive coach out to question the call. Ultimately the obstruction call is the ruling made by the PU. Should I have called obstruction, or is this one that is a play on. There was no award made because the runner advanced to the base she would have reached had the contact not occurred. I didn't have obstruction because the way the play unfolded I did not see F6 having the chance to make an out on the play.
Play 2: This was even stranger. A couple runs already in and a pitcher who can not find the plate. 1 out, R1 on 1b, B2 hits a ground ball to F1, who throws to F3 for the out. R1 for some reason stops, and stands between 1st and 2nd. The defense thinks it is 3 outs, so most of them head in towards the dugout. R1 then takes off, rounds second and heads for 3rd. F5 is yelling for a throw to catch R1, but the throw is late and R1 slides in safely. The defense, now including F3 and F6 all head into the dugout. The only calls from the umpires have been the out at 1st on B2 and the safe call on R1 at third.
Neither umpire ever calls time. The home team (offensive coach) goes to the plate umpire and says she only has 2 outs. While this is happening, and time has not been called. The home team now comes out on the field to play defense. R1, thinking it must be 3 outs, goes into the dugout and gets her glove, coming out to pitch. The PU and myself (BU), both only have 2 outs. The home book (being kept by the 1b coach) only has two outs. The visiting book, also only has two outs.
We decide to call the home team back into the dugout and return the visiting team to defense, putting R1 back on third base. At this point, the defensive (visiting team) coach wants R1 called out for abandoning the base.
What should the correct ruling be. I know, we should have called time to check on the outs before the teams left the field, but what should we have done with R1. She did leave the field as a base runner legally occupying a base, but since the umpires had not said anything and the defense has left the field, she likely assumed it was 3 outs. (Also, the scoreboard has incorrectly showed 2 outs when the play started.
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