Retouch ?

[Bandit]

Bases loaded, 1 out. Batter hits a high fly to left center. Runner on 3rd takes off for home on contact. The left fielder attempts to catch the ball but it bounces out of her glove back into the air. The center fielder coming over to back up the play catches the ball while it is still in the air. Meanwhile the runner from third has scored w/o retouching. The defense appeals that the runner left early. The umpire ruled that while initial contact releases the runner from the base, that is applied only when the original fielder that touches the ball also catches the rebound. But in this case since a second player caught the ball the runner did not have to retouch. According to what I read in FED rules ( 8-2 Art.2) "If a batted ball (fair or foul, other than a foul tip) is caught, the initial contact of the ball by a fielder releases the runner. It says nothing about first or second player cathing. So did we have a miss ruling ?

[Roger Greene]

The first touch by a defensive fielder releases the runner. It is inmaterial if the ball is caught by that fielder or another fielder.

Roger Greene,
Member UT

[IRISHMAFIA]

This is the type of ruling that makes you wonder what clinics these guys attended to learn the rules.

Great BS, lousy mechanics and rule knowledge and, yes, that protest would be upheld and that umpire would have to do it all over again.

And the bad thing is that the runner should be ruled out regardless of touched it first or caught it if she never returned to tag up on the play.