Dodged a bullet
 

In the second game of a junior college doubleheader yesterday, we had a potential call that I'm glad we did not have to make.

With runners on 1B and 2B and no outs, the batter hit a ground ball to F5 playing in. The ball bounced off F5's glove and then rolled behind and to the left of F5, into the path of the runner from 2B. F5 turned around to chase the ball but, seeing the runner approaching, stopped, though the ball was in reach. Everybody safe.

The defensive coach then admonished F5 that she had the right to field the ball and therefore should have tried to pick it up, that the runner was required by rule to avoid her. (A runner from the defensive team had been called for INT earlier, for running into F6 on a ground ball.)

But I'm mentally disagreeing with the coach, and mentioned to the BU between innings that we almost had a tough call. He said, "F5 still had an opportunity to make a play. Contact would definitely have been interference on the runner."

But NCAA rule 12-19-a-4-(c) leaves it open:

"It is still interference if a batted ball is misplayed and remains in front of a fielder such that the fielder still has an opportunity to make a play, and the runner contacts the fielder. Exception: If the misplayed ball bounds away or past the fielder, and then contact occurs as the fielder and runner collide, this may be considered inadvertent contact, interference[,] or obstruction." [Underlining is mine.]

In other words, says the book, you HTBT.

As you describe the play, however, it sounds like you are indeed correct, according to how NCAA wants it called. You would have likely ended up with an unpleasant discussion concerning OBS rather than interference.

And there are pleasant discussions about said issues?

Step and a reach
 

In many discussions about the early spring bobbled balls, we came up with the old "Step and a reach"

The fielder gets to bobble close enough to continue play with a step in the direction of the ball and reach for it while protected in the initial play on the ball. All other rules apply for runners.

Sometimes the no call is the best.

Rarely. But once in a great while.....wait....who am I kidding? :cool:

Step and a reach is something that exists in NFHS. NCAA wording is merely "a reasonable chance," which pretty much leaves it up to the judgement of the umpire.

The only thing I don't like about this one is that the runner has little option. Odds are the runner is already moving to go behind the fielder and the fielder's misplay places the runner in jeopardy, again. At some point, the runner needs to be given some type of opportunity to advance that is not predicated upon the defender's inability to play the ball.