malicious contact

[beachbum]

Boys JV game. Home school is very small and uses both mid school boys AND girls on the team. Their catcher is a 7th grader that weighs about 95 pounds with equipment. Visiting team is bigger high school boys.

6th inning started becasue there was less than the 10 run rule. Visitors score 6 more runs to make the score 20 to6.

Now the play.

Overthrow at third visitor R( about 5"9" and 160) runs to home at full speed. Catcher get ball about a second or more before runner arrives and brases for tag. runner dives head first into the catchers chest, extending his arms into the chest area to further the collision. Catcher drops ball and lays motionless on the field for at least 10 to 15 seconds.

I throw the runner out of the game. head coach (in the third base box during the play), challenges me that his player was attempting to slide and merely extended his arms to protect himself.

why would a coach of a team that is ahead by double digits, allow this type of activity. His best player could have been the one hurt and the game was basically decided at that point anyways.

I stand by my call but i am disapointed that this would ever happen in a game such as this.

Do all of the experienced umps out there feel somewhat down after such an occurance?