Dropped 3rd strike

[Stripes1950]

Varsity Fed rules. Had a catcher last night catch the third strike on a bounce which would have been the third out if caught cleanly. I called and signaled strike three. The batter started toward his dugout. The F2 asks me, "Do I have to throw him out?" I remained silent. The batter continued to the dugout and the defensive team was coming off the field when the defensive coach awoke and told the F2 to throw to 1b. They did so and I made the out call. The batter was probably 10 feet from his dugout. Large playable territory at this field. Make sure that you don't assist either team in this situation. I couldn't make any comment to the catcher even though he asked me a direct question.