R1 on third, tags up on fly ball. Catcher is straddling home plate, a little behind in the left handers batter's box. Catcher catches ball from outfielder. R1 does not slide, touches home before tag and then hits catcher, both tumbling to ground. Contact was not malicious. She did not "plow" her over, their legs hit, and was substantial. Should I have called her out for not avoiding contact? If there had been other runners on, should I have declared the runner closest to home also out? Would it have been a different call if the catcher had been up the line instead? This is a middle school Federation game.

You need to answer a couple of questions to make this judgement call.

Was the contact malicious? If yes then out and eject.
(I'm suddenly remembering a ruling on a runner that has scored making malicious contact. Is she just ejected or is she out and ejected? Gotta hit the case book unless somebody has that cite.)
If not malicious then:

Who initiated the contact?
If the runner was running to and tagged the back of the plate, and F2 moved into her path attempting to make a swipe tag, then its probably a nothing.
If the catcher was standing on the front of the plate mearly catching the ball and the runner caused the contact then you may very well have a violation of 8-4-2b or 8-4-2c.
If its a violation of c then the ball is dead and the runner is out. If it was a force play (see 8-4-2e) then you have 2 outs. If its a violation of b then the runner is out and the ball remains alive.

8-4-2h speaks to declaring another runner out for a runner preventing a double play. I didn't see how this could apply to your sitch as presented.


Roger Greene,
member UT

Roger,
In FED if runner has already scored, she just ejected.

Rule 3-4 Penalty pg 33

Your correct, Pappasmurf.

The cite is 3-3-1 PENALTY. I checked with my partner on the way to a game that night and forgot to get back to the board.
Thanks ,
Roger Greene,
Member UT

Yes, I did quote wrong rule, looked at
top of page and just used what was there
instead of actually following it through.
Got page number right.:o