We had this happen last night in a Varsity Fed. game. Girl hits ball to shortstop, who throws to first in time to beat the runner, but first baseman drops the ball. Runner arrives at first clearly after the ball, but doesn't see the ball come out or hear the umpire rule safe. She leaves the base heading back towards home to go back to dugout and gets about 10 feet away and hears the coach holler to get back to base. The ball has already went back to the pitcher in the circle and she throws back to first trying to get the girl out. Two questions 1. Would the girl be liable to be put out in this situation and 2. say the pitcher had not made a play on her and just stood there, would she have been out for failing to keep contact with the base while the pitcher had the ball in her posession in the circle? Dave

FED 8-4-2r states "the runner is out after at least touching first base, the runner leaves the baseline, obviously abandoning her effort to touch next base." The umpire should call this immediately, no play would have to be made on her. In ASA, she would actually have to enter dead ball territory before she was out. She could be tagged while off of the base for the out.

With regard to your question about the ball being in the circle: if the runner was touching the base when the pitcher had the ball in the circle and then stepped off, she would be immediately out. If the runner never went back to the base then she would not be out until tagged.

--Sam

Speaking ASA...
 

...since I don't call FED, and this is interesting...

Here's what I think:

Question 1: Assuming the runner made no attempt toward 2B, and since she did not enter the dugout, she may return to 1B without liability to be put out.

Question 2: Once the runner stops on her way back to the dugout, assuming F1 has kept control of the ball in the circle, she must then return immediately to 1B, or be called out on a look-back violation.

Sam,

I don't want to hijack this FED discussion to ASA, but...

Why would she be out if tagged? Assume she overran the base into right field, turned right, and headed for her dugout. How did she forfeit her protection on overrunning 1B, assuming she made no move to 2B? What am I missing?

You may be correct, Dakota. I was thinking about the notion that the BR must return <b>immediately</b> to 1st base after over running it, but this might be a FED term too.

==SamC

Sam, I think that 8:2:3 and 8:2:4 apply more to this situation, which would protect the runner back to the base if she "desires to return to such base." Just my humble opinion here, but as she has yet to make it to dead ball territory, I think that I would have to protect her in this case. Just my humble opinion.