Illegal pitch?

[David Emerling]

ASA rules.

Pitcher delivers the ball toward the batter but the ball is very low, probably slipped out of her hand. As the ball is rolling near the plate, the catcher steps out in FRONT of the plate and fields the ball.

Illegal pitch? Catcher's interference? Ball?

The ball clearly had the impetus to cross the foul lines near the plate but the catcher fielded it a good 3 feet out in front of the plate, completely denying the batter the opportunity to hit the pitch should she have chosen to do so.

It seems to me that has to be something OTHER than simply calling it a "ball."

If a batter swings at a pitch that bounces 10 feet in front of the plate ... it's a strike. If a batter hits a ball that initially bounced 10 feet in front of the plate ... it counts! What do we do when the catcher comes out of the catcher's box to field a pitch that bounced 10 feet in front of the plate?

David Emerling
Memphis, TN