Ok, guru's of the softball world, here we go.

16U ASA JO rules are in effect. Bases loaded with one out. Three balls, and one strike is the count on the batter. All infielders are playing for the bunt. Batter hits a medium height pop fly over pitchers head. Plate umpire signals infield fly. All runners were off on the pitch. Second baseman catches the ball with shortstop standing less than five feet away from her. Runner on 2B, attempting to return to second base, collides with the shortstop, who now has no responsibility on the preceding play. I rule obstruction on the shortstop, and return the runner back to second base. Coach comes unglued, no protest is made, and the game continues on.

HELP me sleep tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get a good night's sleep. Your ruling is correct, but I'm curious how you got there. You didn't indicate how the play proceeded. Was R2 put out prior to killing the play? Were any other runner's in jeopardy? What call was the coach looking to get?

I agree, I don't see where you've got any other call. I'm curious about the same questions, too

I agree with Steve and Mike - good call. The shortstop was not fielding the ball, did not have the ball, nor was about to receive the ball, so she must get out of the way of the runner.

Since you "return the runner back to second", I can only assume she was put out, but it would be nice to have the blanks filled in. You know us e-umpires - we want all the details.

Lets have some fun
 

Let's change the play just a little runner still runs into F6 causing F6 fall over and trips F4 in the act of throwing the ball to F3...

Would you than call interference on the runner or rule obstruction by F6 cause him to interfere with his own player and rule the obstruction call but no interference???


Have a good one guys


Don

Time for the nightmarish twist, eh? Following the thought line of screw the team that screwed up, I've still got nothing but obstruction - unless the obstructed runner hasdone something intentional & flagrant - then I've got a dead ball and another penalty.

Same call, obstruction.

Don,

In your scenario, it is still obstruction.

How about this...

R2 stumbles after the collision with F6 and runs into F4.

I've got obstruction anytime a defensive player who doesn't have the ball (and not in the act of fielding, yada, yada, yada) collides with, stumbles into, or falls over a runner who is just attempting to advance normally. So I would call obstructoin in all the cases mentioned.

--SamC

16U ASA JO rules are in effect. Bases loaded with one out. Three balls, and one strike is the count on the batter. All infielders are playing for the bunt. Batter hits a medium height pop fly over pitchers head. Plate umpire signals infield fly. All runners were off on the pitch. Second baseman catches the ball with shortstop standing less than five feet away from her <b>(Where are F6 and F5 standing? Sounds like near second base)</b>. Runner on 2B, attempting to return to second base, collides with the shortstop, who now has no responsibility on the preceding play <b>(What was F4 doing at the moment of obstruction? Was F4 attempting to make a play on the runner?)</b>. I rule obstruction on the shortstop, and return the runner back to second base. Coach comes unglued <b>(What issue did the coach have, which coach was upset?)</b>, no protest is made, and the game continues on.


I can't tell by your description, but if F4 was attempting to make a play on the runner (if F4 was attempting to tag R2, tag 2nd base, or throw the ball to F6) then you have Type A obstruction. R2 would get third. The answers to the highlighted questions will help answer that.

advocatus,

I notice from your profile you call LL. I am not knowledgable wrt LL rules, but I think LL softball is based on OBR, right?

Note that the situation was under ASA JO rules. There is no such thing as Type A obstruction in ASA - that is an OBR term. It is simply obstruction.

Under ASA rules the obstucted runner is protected to the base she would have achieved (in the judgment of the umpire) had there been no obstruction. In this case, 2B.