malicious contact on fake tag

[jodibuck]

Had a strange play tonight in a FED game. Runner on first, advances to third on base hit to right field. Throw is not made to third base, but the third baseman, without the ball, makes a hard tag on the runner. Umpire immediately declares "dead ball", and ejects the third baseman for malicious contact. The umpires confer, and determine the runner should not be awarded home, since he would only have made third base on this play. My understanding is that the runner is to be awarded a minimum of one base from where the obstruction occurred. If that is true, the runner should have been awarded home.