ASA Slow Pitch Shorthanded Rule...Question

[Tsmokie]

Hi,

This should be an easy question for you experts out there. This is specifically in regards to ASA Slowpitch. If a team starts with 11 players (they are using an EP), and if someone gets hurt and they don't have a legal substitute, can they drop to 10 players? I have read the rule a million and one times, and the part that is confusing me is, in the EP section is says that if you start with 11 you must end with 11, and then in the shorthanded section it says you can finish with one player less than the required number. Now, I would easily interpret that to mean that if you start with 11 you must finish with 11, but at the same time if you start with 10 or 9 you can drop one and don't have the required number.

Thanks for you help.

Tsmokie