Bunting/Blocking with bat

[collinb]

Federation Rules...Bunting...Situation.
The batter-runner places a bunt in front of home base.Then appears to be carefully throwing bat in front of home base. I think in an effort to position the bat to block the ball from spinning back in foul territory.
Bat and ball make contact a second time in corner of batters box in fair territory.I called dead ball/foul ball because of second contact. I didn't get a argument over the call but the play had me thinking the situation over all night. I went home and tried to confirm ruleing with rule book. I think I could have call interference on batter for deliberately throwing bat out in front to block the ball from spinning back into foul territory. And I don't think I should of call dead ball/foul ball because of second contact if the bat was not still in her hands when second contact occured. Does it matter that this happend within the batters box and fair? I know it would be foul ball if the second contact was in foul territory.
This is a play I have never seen before and one I want to be sure of, with all the varitions next time.

[David Van Milligen]

"The batter-runner places a bunt in front of home base.Then appears to be carefully throwing bat in front of home base. I think in an effort to position the bat to block the ball from spinning back in foul territory.


If this is what you believe, then interference, and out. No runners may advance. If it was not intentional, then play on.

"I think in an effort to position the bat to block the ball from spinning back in foul territory."

Why, is the catcher so inept she could not get the easy out?

[collinb]

The catcher did make a play to first. I think I failed to state in my first posting that there was a runner on second and this was an attemped sacrifice. I will be more sure of calling interference next time. What about the ball bouncing up and makeing contact with the dropped bat unintentionally? I know we call foul ball if the bat makes contact twice while the batter is still holding the bat.

[Roger Greene]

There is an old rule of thumb that goes like this: "If the ball hits the bat, that's nothing, play on. If the bat hits the ball get the out."

Fed 7-3-6 in part: "If a whole bat is thrown and interferes with a defensive player attempting a play, interference shall be called. PENALTY: The batter is out and runners return...."

In your sitch your preception of the play might cause you to invoke 7-4-k (A batter shall be called out when "after hitting or bunting a ball, she intentionally hits the ball a second time in fair or foul territory; the ball is dead, no runner(s) advance and the batter is out;" or 8-4-1g (The batter-runner is out "when she intentionally contacts the ball a second time in fair or foul territory, if in the umpire's judgement, the ball had a chance to become fair."

The rule of thumb mentioned above will give you the correct call in Fed virtually all of the time. If the bat has been discarded by the batter, and the ball then rebounds or rolls into the bat you got a fair or foul hit depending on the location.

If the batter discards the bat in a manner that makes the bat contact the ball you get an out. There is no intent required under 7-3-6, so that is what I usually cite to the coach if the call is questioned.

Roger Greene,
Member UT