out?

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by SRW

You have given a totally different scenario where R1 isn't forced to advance. The OP had bases loaded, where every runner is forced to advance.

Does that matter? Is the base path created when the runner is forced to advance? i.e.: in the OP, R2 on 2B set her path to 3B, then deviated (backwards) by more than 3 feet to avoid the tag.

Just sparking discussion here... think like a protest committee ... prove to me that calling an out in the OP is incorrect.

The basepath is the line between the baserunner and the base she's going to. There is NO RULE that says a runner (other than BR between home and 1st) cannot run toward her previous base. Retreating more than 3 feet to avoid a tag is CERTAINLY a legal move, as she is heading toward the previous base and still in her basepath to that base. Subsequent action could even allow her to run to and stop at that base, should a succeeding runner be put out at any point.