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Wed Apr 21, 2004, 10:02am
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Bases loaded, batter walks and the ball gets away. Catcher retrieves and fires to the pitcher at the plate, startling R3 about 10 feet from home. I tell them again we have a walk. Pitcher takes two steps toward R3, who begins retreating to 3rd. I repeat - we have a walk. Pitcher walks toward mound, R3 continues toward home and pitcher fires home, the ball getting to the catcher right ahead of the runner. Catcher is in the baseline with the ball and tags the runner, who runs (slowly) into her standing up - not a crash at all. I repeat - we have a walk. Runner goes around the catcher to the left, catcher holds the ball and stays between her and the base, and runner goes to the 1st base dugout. Runner did not make any further effort to reach home.
When she hits the dugout, catcher appeals that she missed the plate. Do I have obstruction on the catcher, or do I have a runner out for missing a base? 
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Wed Apr 21, 2004, 10:09am
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This was 13-15, a competitive league, but these two teams were playing like 11-12's, and the runner in question was a last-batter type of player, small, confused, etc. The catcher and pitcher were that team's best players. The win last night will likely be the only win either team has all year.
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Wed Apr 21, 2004, 10:17am
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Quote:
R3 would have scored except for catcher's obstuction in blocking the plate.  Issue a warning for an unsporting act to catcher and skipper. mick
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Wed Apr 21, 2004, 10:23am
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That's how I ruled (without the warning). But it made me think. What if catcher was not in the basepath, and simply tagged her from the side a few feet up the line. Different answer?
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Wed Apr 21, 2004, 10:36am
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Quote:
I will stand there, let them have their fun. I will then kill the play, score R1, place BR on 1B and move up R2 & R3. Don't care what age level this involves. It happens quite often in SP. I will NOT chase down players or try to outscream both teams and the fans. If they want to run around like fools, far be it from me to stop them.
__________________
The bat issue in softball is as much about liability, insurance and litigation as it is about competition, inflated egos and softball.
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Wed Apr 21, 2004, 11:13am
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Whatever, R1 scores.
__________________
Tom
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Wed Apr 21, 2004, 11:13am
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I guess I would judge the moment... "for the good of the game". ...And that guess would probably be to tell the timid sub to touch the plate before she got too far away. Several years ago, I woulda called her out for abandonment, but life's too short (and some games are too long). mick
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Wed Apr 21, 2004, 01:29pm
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It was a weird game. Don't expect this at 13-15 often. I probably could have called this game by myself. I can't recall a single play in the field. Nearly entirely walks and passedballs intermixed with the occasional foul ball. One inning the team that won issued 4 walks, 3 passed balls, maybe 2 or 3 strikes the whole inning, and no one scored - I called 3 runners out trying to score on balls the catcher missed.
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Wed Apr 21, 2004, 01:46pm
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I had a similar situation once in which, after the BR started to 1B on a walk, the runner from 1B started jumping around (changing directions) on her way to 2B to decoy the pitcher, who fell for the ruse and started chasing the runner down. The coach wanted a violation of the lookback rule. I put the runner on 2B, and later wondered about the coach's claim. I posted the question, and the consensus was that the LBR doesn't govern awards.
In your situation, I think it was right to score the run, with OBS your guiding principle.
__________________
greymule More whiskey—and fresh horses for my men! Roll Tide!
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