Down one player
 

High School Rules

3-3-8 gives instructions of what to do when an offensive player reaches base and cannot continue and there are no available substitutes.

Then in (c) it says: When the half-inning ends and the team assumes a defensive position, refer to 4-3-1g.

I'm assuming that 4-3-1g allows the game to continue with 8 on defense, but there isn't anything specific.

Rita

The game continues with eight (8) players on defense.

Bob

I actually had that on Friday. Somewhere I must have read that in a thread cause I nailed it. Last player, short-handed , all of it. I was impressed that the coach of the opposing team knew it too. :)

Rita,

I am happy to see someone making an effort to understand different rules.

One thing you need to understand is that rarely does any one sentence/paragraph of a rule (in any book) stand alone. There is often a complimentary entry which supports and/or offers direction in regards to the situation created by the enforcement of the original rule in question.

In this case, it was a shorthanded rule (which allows teams to continue play with less than the required number of players) which allowed the team that was on offense at the time to continue with the game instead of forfeiting.

A shorthanded rule applies to the teams, not a specific portion of the game (offense or defense).

I've been an umpire for 10 years but am renewing my acquaintence with high school softball. Knowing that no rule stands alone, I will be coming here to ask questions because I have already found the softball index to be lacking. :rolleyes:

I wanted to make sure there wasn't more to the story.

Rita

Well, you've definitely come to the right place!

Yeah, we'll add more to the story whether it should be there or not! :D

Does Fed allow a team to play shorthanded even after a player ejection? Got a call from a fellow official with this question and could not find mention of it in either the rule or case book. Told him I would check with the guys/gals on here. If it's indeed there, where is it?

Ain't that the truth. :rolleyes:

Yes.

It's one of those invisible rules, allowed because it is not prohibited.

Thanks. I will let him know. He will hate to hear it since he forfeited the game, with the offending team ahead by 4 in the bottom of the 6th no less. Unfortunately Texas HS does not have a protest procedure beyond checking the rule book on the field, which was not done in this case. Umpire sold it and coach bought it. One more unfortunate HS umpire story.

Also try
NFHS Forum: Softball
if you want strictly HS rules. :cool:

Au contraire The UIL has a system of protests that can be found on their website. Here is a short snippet:

"A participant school may protest an act or omission that is a violation of the Constitution and/or Contest Rules, but may not protest a contest judge’s, referee’s or other official’s decision."

It goes on to detail various types of protests and what steps are to be taken.

As a matter of fact, as an officer in the local association, I have already had to handle a protest this year!