batter interference?

[davekoch]

i am not an umpire, just a coach wanting to understand
the rules better and have found this board to be very
informative.

i also read another "rules" board and came across a question
that i was somewhat confused about. i tried searching the
database here and didn't find anything that fits the exact
description and would like some clarification, the following
was posted:

"Situation, Runner on first base breaks for second on pitch. As catcher retrives ball from his mitt to make a throw, it falls to the ground where it is immediatly struck (inadvertenly) by the batters bat and is knocked away from the catcher."

the poster was then asked to clarify if it was the backswing
that hit the ball out of the way, the original poster responded:

"Yes, the batter was returning the bat after a swing."

first, is this a definition of backswing to be included
with the follow-thru backswing?

second, what is the correct ruling for either case of
"backswing" given that the catcher dropped the ball when
taking the ball out of the glove for a throw and was then
struck by the batter's bat?

thanks,
-dave koch