Dead ball - how many bases?
 

NFHS - Ohio high school. Runners on 2nd and 3rd. Pickoff attempt at third (throw from catcher). Ball goes off third baseman's glove and rolls toward fence. Goes under a gap in the fence and outside the playing area. Home plate umpire only awards each runner one base. Is that correct?

A ball thrown out of play is 2 bases from the runners position at the time of the throw.

Now, a pitched ball going out of play would have only been 1 base, but this was not a pitched ball.

Interesting. I would have thought there would be a difference between a ball that is truly thrown out of play (over the fence, into the dugout, etc.) vs. a ball that stays in play and rolls under a fence that was not properly maintained? In other words, wouldn't that be discussed at the home plate meeting before the game?

You play the field in the condition it is in, unless it is deemed a safety hazard. The thrown ball went out of play, makes no difference that it was a damaged chain link fence. It is 2 bases from the time of throw. It would be exactly the same if the dugout had gates and some coach was standing there holding the gate open and the ball went into the dugout. The ball still went out of play and there are base awards attached to that.

Yes it can be discussed in the pregame, but, as I already stated on another thread ground rules cannot supersede book rules.

Semi-hijack:

If it is the offense's gate that is improperly open, do we return runners to last base touched at the time it entered DBT? at the time of throw?

Treat it like a blocked ball?

If the 3rd baseman had the ball go off the glove without any possession then 2 bases from the time of the throw.

If there was any possession and then they lost it and it goes into dead ball territory then it is 1 base

Is that some strange softball rule?

It is an allowance for when a defender attempts to tag a runner and looses possession of the ball. IOW, it wasn't a thrown ball

An interesting difference in ASA/USA is that a thrown ball going out of play is 2 bases from position of runner at the time ball left the fielder's hand.

On loss of possession that goes out of play, it is one base from position of the runner at the time the ball left the field.

No.

Same in HS & NCAA

USA rule.
I am not sure if other codes have this rule.
Another weird one--if a fielder takes the ball into a dugout to tag a runner who missed the plate this is not considered intentionally taking a ball out of play and is only a one base award.

This one makes sense. The fielder didn't intend to take the ball out of play to kill the play, she did it to make a play. Unfortunately, she screwed up and everyone else gets another base.

For what its worth....

In NSA this is considered an intentional carry with 2 base award.

Why would the offense be rewarded with a free 2-bases if they improperly left their gate open, especially if this is covered pre-game?