Your opinions

[ChampaignBlue]

Mike, I can't find in the rule book anything that says when a player becomes the batter. Why can't I during a dead ball call for the batter, finding that there is no batter then call the automatic out? I'm not preventing anyone from completing there running duties nor preventing an appeal. Let's say I call the third out at 3rd after a run crosses the plate and the batter runner missed 1st. I'm not stopping the runner from retagging nor am I stopping the defense from appealing for the fourth out and preventing the run from scoring. In the example that you gave will there be another batter? No, so you can announce the 3rd out and let everyone finish their respective jobs and move on. In fast pitch it would be different because it's a live ball and people could be stealing but in slow pitch it's a dead ball appeal.