Yet another Int/Obs Question
 

This play is a little tough to describe. Varsity game put probably easier to visualize it as if they were 12U because hardly anything anybody did made sense.

No outs. R1 on 1st with F3 playing in a couple of steps from the base. F4 playing left of normal and almost in the baseline. Ball is popped up between the two fielders just in front of the base line. F4 moves toward the ball and F3 instead of moving toward the ball moves back across the base path of a confused R1 who can't decide what to do. F3 then decides to move back toward the ball and R1 decides to run. (I think F3 was clearing out for F4 and changed her mind.) They collide. F4 catches the ball and then drops it. R1 then runs safely to 2nd.

In this situation I had obstruction on the theory that I can't protect two players in the same space trying to field a ball because if I did the runner would be completely unable to advance and F3 was not even remotely doing the right thing. Further, F4 was in no way affected and was the right player to make the play (coming in versus backpedalling). DC obviously disagreed and felt that he should get the out for the contact. Almost to the point of removing himself from the game.

So how do you all read this situation? (I know it was really HTBT, but only the DC and I saw it cause everybody else was watching the catch, so jus tdo what you can with it please.) What kind of keys do you use to judge obstruction interference in a situation where someone else is making the primary play? Does it matter that the path that F3 had from the initial spot to the ball did not put her near R1? (I realize it would matter if she were doing it on purpose but here it was just a lack of skill.)
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You can only protect one fielder at a time. F4 sounds like the protected fielder here, so F3 needs to stay out of the way of the runner. OBS is the right call.

PS: I assume you meant R1 ran safely to 2nd, not 1st. Otherwise, what happened to the BR?

As I read it, F4 was making the play. Therefore, F3 obstructed R1. Based on the position of the ball in the air, I'm only protecting her to first. However, when F4 drops the popup, allowing the BR to reach first, R1 is advanced to second by force.

Yes, corrected.
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Hope I'm not hijacking the thread. First, from your discription, I think you made the right call. Second, I'd be curious how that argument went. I would think you could question the coach until he realized how wrong his logic was. (Or at least until he could vent a little without escalation.)

C: The runner should be out for contact.
U: Why? That fielder wasn't fielding the ball.
C: But the baserunner bumped into her. That should be an out.
U: If the fielder isn't fielding the ball and the baserunner bumped into her, that's obstruction and that's what I called.
C: But the first baseman was trying to field the ball.
U: Then what was the second baseman doing?
C: blah, blah, blah

If that argument got almost to the point of the DC "removing himself from the game", there might have been some other tricks to settle this coach down. Take a double look at how that conversation went and perhaps run it by some of the senior folks in your org. I know it's not technically our job to settle them down, but it beats filling out ejection paperwork.

All in all, you got the call right and didn't have too much coach push back. I would count that as a success.