Baserunning question - little league

[ozzy6900]

Originally Posted by recoachtn

I have a little league (seniors) baserunning rules question.

Runners on first and second. Batter gets basehit to right field. Runners advance. Throwing error has lead runner heading to home and middle runner heading to third. Lead runner touches home but, due to confusion of coaches/parents yelling "back, back" (meant for middle runner now rounding third), lead runner heads back to third base. Middle runner heads home and passes lead runner now heading back to third. Fielding team tags both runners.

Ruling - Both runners are safe and runs count.

Question: Shouldn't one of the runners be out either because the middle runner has now passed the lead runner or for play interference by inappropriately reentering the field of play?

Nobody at the game has ever seen this happen after the lead runner has crossed home plate. Neither umpire seemed sure of the correct ruling or rule.

If anybody can tell me what the correct ruling should have been and, if possible, the rule that governs, I would greatly appreciate it.

Let me see if I have this right:

• Lead runner touches home plate - the run scores, end of story.
• Following runner rounding 3rd heading home while runner who just scored heads back to 3rd.
• Trailing runner heading home passes his teammate who just scored - his teammate is not a runner anymore.
• Trailing runner touches the plate - score run #2

A little messy there, coach but a simple play nonetheless. Once the lead runner touched the plate he is no longer a runner. The trailing runner passed a teammate, not a runner so there is no penalty. Maybe the players should listen to their coaches and not the crowd and maybe the 3rd base coach should have been sending the lead runner back to home but that's a coaching problem. The umpire made the right call. Score 2, no penalty.