Need Help Quick, Carl where are you?

[His High Holiness]

I am the assignor this week for high school tournaments! A situation has arisen that requires a ruling:

FED rules, district championship game:

R2, R3, 0 outs, bottom of 8th, score 3-3. Defense intentionally walks BR to load the bases.

Not knowing the rules about a dead ball, the defense sneaks the ball to F3, F1 toes the rubber, and PU says play. No one knows that F3 has the ball. R1 steps off first and is tagged out. U1 calls a balk on the pitcher for not having the ball and being on the rubber. Run scores on balk, game over, all hell breaks loose.

In OBR and NCAA, PU has put the ball in play illegally. Therefore, the out and the balk are nullified, the PU instructs the defense on proper procedure, and we would continue with bases loaded, 0 out.

Now U3 says that he has gotten a FED ruling from someone on the internet saying that in FED, the pitcher is required to have the ball when he toes the runner or it is a balk even if the ball is not in play. I doubt that this is true, but before I hang myself out to dry with a couple of AD's, can someone tell me if there is anything to this phantom ruling.

One thing that I have learned about FED ball is that anything wacky is possible when it comes to their rulings.

Thanks,

Peter