Hit by bouncing pitch...?

[oneonone]

I was watching a "slaughter in the box" tonight at a LL girls softball 10U game. In the first 2 innings the home team had 8 girls hit by fast bouncing "wild" pitches from the visiting teams rookie pitcher. The umpire allowed the coaches to convince him that because the ball hits the ground before the girls its dead and its just a ball. I tried throwing in my 2 cents and said then every ball that hits the ground before the plate is a dead ball and no one runner should ever be allowed to steel on a bouncer that passes the catcher. I know that rule 6.08 covers the ball hitting the player but it doesn't specificly mention anything about what if it hits the ground first. I read the rule as (b) the batter touched by a pitched ball, which the batter is not attempting to hit. My reading of the rule would be 'In the air or on the ground doesn't matter...both are live pitched balls. Is there a case number that specificly states bounced balls are pitched balls? I won't even get into the official cry of tonights umpire "tie always goes to the runner!!!" if he said it once....he actually said it eight times!!