Interference?

[whiskers_ump]

NFHS Rules/Game

R1 on 2B, ground ball to right of pitcher, whom barely gets a glove
on the ball. (you could see ball slightly change directions)
F6, who had been moving to her left to go to where she thought the
ball would be, changes course. She had probably taken one to one and
a half steps. Advancing runner hits her, not hard, but contact. F6
bobbles ball with no play available. There is 1 out before the play.

[greymule]

After a deflected ball, interference has to be intentional.

[scottk_61]

Originally posted by greymule
After a deflected ball, interference has to be intentional.

Not quite there Greymule.
Reread the rule related to this situation.
You may get an out here if in the umpire's judgement, another defender had a play on the ball.
It is truly a "judgement" call in this case

[greymule]

Well, 8-7-J-5 gives the general case:

[The runner is out] when the runner interferes intentionally with any defensive player having the opportunity to make an out with the deflected batted ball.
[My italics.]

The case book (8.8.42) adds a little help in judging "intentional":

R1 on 3B and R2 on 2B when B3 hits a ball to F5. The ball goes off F5's glove and F6 tries to field the ball when R2 collides with F6. (a) As R2 tried to alter his path or (b) collides with F6 after having the opportunity to avoid F6 and make no attempt to avoid contact.

Ruling: (a) Live Ball, no interference. (b) R2's actions are judged to be intentional. Dead ball, R2 is out, R1 returns to 3B, B3 awarded 1B.

[Mistakes in grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and parallelism are in the original.]

It seems to me that "didn't have a chance to alter his path and avoid the fielder" would also qualify as unintentional.

[whiskers_ump]

Originally posted by greymule
Well, 8-7-J-5 gives the general case:

[The runner is out] when the runner interferes intentionally with any defensive player having the opportunity to make an out with the deflected batted ball.
[My italics.]

The case book (8.8.42) adds a little help in judging "intentional":

R1 on 3B and R2 on 2B when B3 hits a ball to F5. The ball goes off F5's glove and F6 tries to field the ball when R2 collides with F6. (a) As R2 tried to alter his path or (b) collides with F6 after having the opportunity to avoid F6 and make no attempt to avoid contact.

Ruling: (a) Live Ball, no interference. (b) R2's actions are judged to be intentional. Dead ball, R2 is out, R1 returns to 3B, B3 awarded 1B.

[Mistakes in grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and parallelism are in the original.]

It seems to me that "didn't have a chance to alter his path and avoid the fielder" would also qualify as unintentional.

__________________________________________________ __
What you quoted is ASA. The question was for NFHS.
Can you give me a quote for NFHS?

[WestMichBlue]

"What you quoted is ASA. The question was for NFHS.
Can you give me a quote for NFHS?"

No. When NFHS re-wrote Rule 8 a couple years ago to more closely follow the ASA rule, they copied only 4 of the 5 interference issues in 8.7.J. There is no interference clause in NFHS for a "deflected" ball.

I had this play last spring in a HS District tournament game. R1 on 2B, hard shot to F1, who knocks the ball down which then rolls towards 2B. R1 hesitated, thinking that ball may be caught. F6 then decided to go for the ball and R1 and F6 collided. I allowed the play to continue (R1 to 3B, B-R at 1B), then caught all sorts of hell from defensive coach who wanted interference called. I gave him "deflected ball explanation" and he eventually accepted it.

I spent some time with my books between games and soon discovered my error: I had applied an ASA rule to a NFHS game. There wasn't another soul at the park, including my partner, who knew the rules so I "got away with it." Fortunately it did not affect the outcome of the game. You can bet I won't do that again!

BTW - speaking ASA - this rule has a little quirk to it. You assume runner (intentionally) interfering with the opportunity to make a play. You assume wrong - the words are "opportunity to make an out." Big difference. Intentionaly or not, with a speedy batter-runner, there was no way any fielder was going to make an out on the deflected ball in my game.

WMB

[whiskers_ump]

WMB,

That is what we did in our game. Applied the ASA rule. However,
after the game the coach from the offended team came to me and ask
if I could show her the rule. Like you, I found it was not there.
I did not have my rule book, but she did. The only thing I could
come up with was 10-2-3g. Walter Sparks had been there earlier
in the day, but had already left. Something needs to be put back
into Rule 8. If it is there I am missing it completely.

[WestMichBlue]

"The only thing I could come up with was 10-2-3g."

Not good; you did have a rule. NFHS 8.6.10.a. "the runner interferes with a fielder attempting to field a batted fair ball."

Maybe not fair to call the runner out, but you can not make any assumptions about whether or not the fielder could have made a play, or even could have made an out. Interference is interference.

WMB

[greymule]

The NFHS stipulation went right by me. Sorry.