malicious contact - penalty?

[CecilOne]

Start with malicious contact does not require possession of the ball in NFHS.
Then, all malicious contact is INT in NFHS.
And, rule and penalty differ in the books, USA & NFHS.

Thinking about whether dead ball matters …

[Tru_in_Blu]

NFHS 2-35 MALICIOUS CONTACT
Malicious contact is an act that involves excessive force with an opponent.

8-6-14 The runner is out when:
She remains on her feet and maliciously crashes into a defensive player. Malicious contact supersedes obstruction.

Penalty: The ball is dead and the runner is out. Each other runner must return to the last base touched at the time of the interference. When a runner is called out for interference, the batter-runner is awarded first base and credited with a fielder’s choice. If this interference, in the judgment of the umpire, is an obvious attempt to prevent a double play and occurs before the runner is put out, the immediate succeeding runner shall also be called out. If interference occurs by the runner on a foul fly ball, the runner is out and the ball is dead. A foul ball is called in this situation and the batter remains at bat unless it was a bunt attempt with two strikes on the batter… (Art. 14) The runner is also ejected.

Question remains: did the runner from first base interfere?

[RKBUmp]

USA does not have malicious contact, it would go under unsportsmanlike conduct. USA also does not have provisions for calling an out for unsportsmanlike conduct, it would simply be an ejection.