Figure this one out -
 

NCAA. R3. Suicide squeeze attempt. R3 is off with the pitch; batter bunts at the ball and misses. The batter sees that R3 will be easily thrown out as R3 retreats toward 3rd base, so he (apparently) steps out of the box to position himself in front of the catcher so the catcher will have a harder time throwing to 3rd base.
The PU says, "Interference". The catcher gets off the throw anyway, and the defense gets R3 in a rundown and ultimately tags him out.

One out or two? Who is out? When should the play have been killed?

JJ

When the throw doesn't directly retire the runner, the ball is dead at that point. The batter is out and R3 is returned (since he's not trying to steal home when the INT occurs).

+1

Someone might quibble with this part, but I think the intent of the rule is to call out R3 for B's INT only with a play at the plate. That's not what happened here, so I agree with bossman.

Kill it before the rundown, batter out, R3 returns.

I'll take a stab at it, assuming NCAA would treat this situation the same as OBR.

Even though it was a suicide squeeze, the batter did not interfere with an attempt by F2 to tag the runner. (In that case, with less than 2 out, runner out; with 2 out, batter out.) In the OP, I would call "time" as soon as F2's throw did not directly result in an out on the runner. I would call the batter out and return the runner to 3B.

I don't see how you could get 2 outs on the play.

My question to the NCCA guys....in that sitch with less than 2 outs, ii it always the batter that gets called out?

Under NCAA rules are there any BI situations where R3 is called out?

Thanks

Yes. With less than 2 outs and R3 is stealing home (actually trying to score). If there is BI in that sitch, R3 is out and batter continues his at bat, unless the pitch was strike three. If it was strike three, batter out on strikes, R3 out for BI. Once R3 retreats back to 3rd, he is no longer "stealing home" and the result would be batter out unless the initial throw from the catcher retires R3. If the initial throw retires R3, the interference is disregarded.

Good sitch...I might have messed that up in returning R3