Would you toss her?
 

You know, my mentioning in another post of 10 ejections in one year got me thinking about one in particular. Here's the situation, and tell me what you would have done.

ASA Coed game, lower level of play. R1 is at 2B. B2 hits a bouncing shot to the outfield. F8 fields it as R1 is crossing 3B and heading home. F8 relays it to F6, who throws to F1 (who is covering HP). F1 (male) catches the ball securely as R1 (female) is about 5' or 6' away. R1 comes in standing up as F1 tags her cleanly and securely, and they bump. The bump did not appear to be malicious, so I've just got an out thus far.

However, as they bumped, it appeared that F1 was concerned about R1 falling to the ground, so he basically tried holding her up under her armpits. R1 clearly had issues with this, and she began to flail her arms at him. I can't remember where she hit him, but I recall she shoved him backwards with pretty decent force. The look on her face clearly told me that she was angry with him for grabbing her under her arms, even though he didn't grab her in a sexual manner.

Obviously, I threw her out of the game (otherwise, why would I be posting this?). My reasoning was that she lost control of herself by flailing her arms at him. I understand that some people have issues with being grabbed, especially women. However, I couldn't let that condone a physical retaliation.

Later, I found out that the same F1 was involved in a nearly identical play the previous week, but he did not assist the runner in keeping their balance. That runner ended up breaking his ankle as a result of the play, and it was due to that incident that F1 decided to assist the runner in keeping her balance in the above play.

So... Would you have tossed her, too? This is my only ejection that sticks out in my mind where I've never felt truly comfortable with it.

You were there, and this is absolutely HTBT. I can see both sides, but wouldn't second-guess your decison unless you had made prior decisions I observed where I felt you over-reacted.

I would eject myself from that league.

Kudos to you for being able to put up with that beer league BS.

Actually, it wasn't really a beer league setting. Normally, the teams are there for some good fun, and there are a number of good athletes playing in this league. My guess is that R1 has some deeper issues about having a man grab her, and she freaked out. F1's intentions were very clear in his body language that he was trying to be a good sportsman and not let a fellow softball player fall down and get hurt.

Only reason why I'm second guessing this one is simply because, well, I was a psych major, and I deeply sympathize with women who may have had, well... choices taken from them. However, I still could not condone a very physical retaliation, and that's why I had tossed her.

Well, from the wording of the OP the runner physically struck and/or shoved F1. Hard to argue an ejection when that happens.

Let me ask you this, if the sexes had been reversed, would you be second guessing the ejection of a male runner who struck and/or shoved a female defender?

I wouldn't second guess the ejection either way.