Illegal pitch NFHS

[BuggBob]

I got some e-mails from some of my guys last night. I was not there so I can only go by what they said in there E-mails (So no flaming wade). Both of these are NFHS games and rules.

The pitcher has pitched the ball and the batter swings and misses then it gets by the catcher and goes to the backstop. All runners advanced a base on the passed ball (catcher error). Then the base umpire informs everyone that he had an illegal pitch. The ruling made was that the runners stay where they are (a runner had scored from third as well) and we have a ball on the batter. Correct?I guess what I am asking is when an illegal pitch is called in high school does the coach of the offensive team always have the choice of taking the result of the play (even if the ball wasn't hit by the batter) or the illegal pitch?I cannot find anything in the rule book (2008) that covers this.

In this first case I directed the umpire to the dead ball table in the rule book.

The pitcher is legally on the pitching plate and has the ball in her pitching hand. As she looks into the catcher for a sign, she places the ball into the glove hand and then separates them while taking the signs.She then takes the ball into the pitching hand and separates then begins the ptich and brings them together and pitches the ball. i think it's fine, but since she has brought them together twice-once when taking the sign from the catcher and then a second time as required when pitching motion has begun. I don't feel that the first time counts against her since she has not begun the pitch yet. You?

This one I told the umpire: Illegal pitch! Enter the pitcher's plate with the hands separate (good). While on the plate transfers the ball from the hand to the glove (illegal). The hand must come togeather AFTER the sign is taken, once the hands come apart the pitch begins and the next action must be throwing the ball. All that aside, she touched the ball with both hands while on the plate twice.