Dead ball/base award question
 

Situation: JV game, FED Rules. Backstop has loose fencing with a wood board around the bottom. During ground rules coach points out that the ball can get caught between the wood board and fencing.

Runner on first breaks with the pitch, pitch skips away from catcher and lodges between wood and fence.

Fed 8-3-3-d says runners get one base if a "pitch...by the pitcher from his pitching position on his plate...lodges in a fence or backstop..."

My question: If the runner did NOT break with the pitch, he would get second (no question); does the fact that he was stealing entitle him to third?

I kept him at second. Was this the correct call?

Thanks.

You got it right. One base from the time of the pitch, stealing or not.

The only way that the runner would be entitled to third is if he attained second before the pitcher committed himself to pitch to the batter. This would be very rare I think. In all my years officiating and playing baseball I have never seen this personally.