Situation Bases loaded No Outs Game played under NFHS rules
The 1-1 pitch is delivered, and hit back up the middle.
Strikes the pitchers ankle/foot in flight and deflects towards the third base line.
F5 is moving to make a play on the ball, when R3 is struck by the ball.
Your ruling?

I have no ruling yet, what happened next?

...I wait to see what happened, maybe?

Runner is out
 

8-4-2k "Any runner is out when he is contacted by a fair batted ball before it touches an infielder, or after it passes any infielder, except the pitcher, and the umpire is convinced that another infielder has a play." Ignore the unintentional touching by the pitcher. Ball is dead. Any runners return to the base occupied at the time of the pitch or to a base that they would be forced to due to the BR attaining first base. How about it senior members, am I right? This is assuming that the ball remained fair. The runner should not have been running in fair territory but since another fielder was attempting to play the ball, I must assume that the ball remained fair.

[Edited by Stripes1950 on May 4th, 2005 at 05:49 PM]

Re: Runner is out
 

I don't think so!

The rule is stating, IMO, that it must first pass a fielder other than the pitcher. In other words, ball is hit past the pitcher and hits R2 going to 3rd, runner is out, ball is dead. SS playing in and ball goes past him and hits R2 going to third, ball is live. The sitch here is the ball hit the pitcher causing it to go into the path or the runner. Live ball.

Ball hits bat, nothing.

Bat hits ball, interference.

Ball hits runner, nothing.

Runner hits ball, interference.

What happened next 50?

Okay, so it's a live ball and playable. As long as the runner doesn't intentionally contact it, then play on, right?

Right. Once the ball strikes F1, any unintentional contact by a baserunner is not interference.

Next
 

My partner and I both waited to see what would happen ......
F5 picks up the ball
R3 stopped
Nothing called after what seems like forever F5 tagged R3 and I called the out all other runners and BR had advanced.
I felt like a twilight zone moment

Finally finished this game, rain and snow the last 2 innings but not enough to call the game just dang cold

In first reading 8-4-2k, I would have agreed that R3 was out on the interference call. However in rereading 8-4-2k, I now understand that there are two separate condiditons that may exist in this rule.

" Any runner is out when he is contacted by a fair batted ball before it touches an infielder . . . . "
Here, the pitcher is considered an infielder and thus when it touched the pitcher it took the option of interference on R3 away.

" . . . . or, after it passes any infielder, except the pitcher, and the umpire is convinced that another infielder has a play. "

Since it has not passed any infielder ( the pitcher is excluded in this ruling ), this part of the rule does not apply.
Therefore, I agree that R3 gets a no call for interference. That he was tagged out because he stopped is unfortunate, but a good no-call overall.
Would have been nice to have all this time to make the determination at the time of the incident. Sounds like you both did a nice job.
Well Done!

Re: Runner is out
 

Once the ball hit the pitcher it is a fair ball.