miscellaneous rules

[CecilOne]

Miscellaneous question 2, NFHS, ASA, USSSA.

Is there any rule coverage for a fielder with the ball pushing the runner off a base trying to tag her?
Just from enthusiasm or clumsiness, no intent or blatant contact.
If so, where?
If not, what do you call/do?

[teebob21]

Originally Posted by CecilOne

Miscellaneous question 2, NFHS, ASA, USSSA.

Is there any rule coverage for a fielder with the ball pushing the runner off a base trying to tag her?
Just from enthusiasm or clumsiness, no intent or blatant contact.
If so, where?
If not, what do you call/do?

NFHS/ASA: Seems to only be covered in Fed 10-2-3g/ASA 10-1. I'm letting an outbreak of common sense happen during this play: calling it Obstruction, judging the runner safe, and letting play continue. If they insist on tagging the "off-the-bag" runner, I'd call time/dead ball, and award that base to the obstructed runner.

NCAA ruleset has a specific rule for this, because, of course they do.

[AtlUmpSteve]

Seem to recall another ASA ruling from KR saying that a runner is expected/required to have sufficient control of her person to maintain contact during a tag of normal effort; that extraordinary force applied should be treated as obstruction.

[CecilOne]

I was once chastised for suggesting obstruction by a fielder with the ball.

[teebob21]

I can see where this thought might come from. Yet, possession of the ball does not always absolve a defender from illegally impeding, hindering, or confusing a runner.

There is no rule support in the book, but I would be willing to argue that a runner dislodged from a base by a fielder is analogous to a base that is dislodged by a runner: the base is ruled to have followed the runner.

[chapmaja]

Originally Posted by CecilOne

I was once chastised for suggesting obstruction by a fielder with the ball.

I'm not sure there really is a rule reference for this, but I am not allowing the clumsiness of the defense to cause an out for the offense. I have had this situation a couple times this season, and I simply call time, and award the runner the base they were on when they were pushed off it. I really don't declare it one thing or another, just call it dead and we continue from there.

It would be interesting to see a rule reference for that situation though.