NCAA and NFHS question
 

I had the following situation presented in another forum. NCAA or NFHS rules.

Bases loaded, 1 out, bottom of the 7th in a 3-0 game. Right handed batter smokes one down the right field line, and in the process of letting his bat go, it lands entirely into fair territory. R3 and R2 score easily and R1 is hustling to try and score. A relay comes in and the throw coming into the plate hits the bat and bounds out of play. BR is standing on 3rd as ball goes out of play. Tricky situation go ahead and make the call, and place all runners!


The poster insists that NCAA and NFHS rules will result in an interference call on the batter for throwing a bat into the field of play that interferes with a fielder trying to make a play. This would result in Batter out and runners returning.

By OBR and MLBUM this is nonsense.

???

Rita

By all of them, this is nonsense. Have him find a cite for interference.

All runners get two bases from the time of the throw.

He's citing NFHS 7-3-6 and NCAA 7-11

Rita

7-3-6 "If the bat breaks and is hit by the ball or hits a runner or a fielder,
no interference shall be called. If a whole bat is thrown and interferes with a
defensive player attempting a play, interference will be called.

PENALTY: The batter is out and runners return. If, in the umpire's judgment,
interference prevented a possible double play, two players may be ruled out."

Had the batter thrown the bat out in Right field and it interfered with the fielder making the play then I would agree. After the fact then all we have is a bat on the field that was hit by a bad throw. I think he is stretching his interpretation.

That same ruling and wording is in all the codes and in all of them the play presented is "award BR (and R1 if needed) home".

What other forum?

The bat is not interfering with a defensive player. So no interference, 2 bases from time of throw.

Poster is dead wrong in both (and all BB or SB) codes. This is not interference - this is a ball thrown out of play.

Not tricky, if the bat is in the way of a play at the Dish, and the PU has time, and can safely, carefully, clear the bat this would all be avoided. It is a drill that is practiced at the Jim Evans MLB Umpire School. It is being a good Game Manager.

And if the cleared bat ends up in the way of the throw and the same play happens?

I'm not saying it's not good practice to clear the bat, when you can, and I am saying that good umpires learn this even if they don't go to Evans, just that it's not relevant to the play as presented.

Point taken. If the ball hits a cleared bat it is a 2B award with a dead ball.

Oh dear...

fify.

The bat is irrelevant. As was the post you corrected.

You appeared to be saying that it's not interference only if the ball hits a cleared bat. I had the same thought as Mike.

Please advise, I am sorry and do not understand ? If you help me I can be a productive participant in many discussions.

Chuck