No Advantage - Spirit of the Rule

[vcblue]

I was watching a Varsity game tonight. Batter hits a line drive to the 2nd base side of F5. F5 dives snow cones the ball and it comes out as she hits the ground. BR is safe at first, runs through and returns. After returning with the pitcher having the ball in the circle the BR walks of the base towards her dugout. She then realizes the ball was not caught, she is not out and returns to first. The D coach wants her called out for LBR. The coach was pretty good he first asked the FU if he agreed that the runner was off the base after returning and with the pitcher having the ball in the circle. The FU said yes. Then he told the FU he had no choice but to call her out. The FU said she gained no advantage and he would not call her out. The D coach protested the game based on the blue's rule interpretation.

That would have been the 3rd out. The Offense scored 2 additional runs that inning and won by one run.

I was once told by a highly regraded UIC from San Diego that "you can never be faulted for calling a book rule. Also, Kevin at the NUS said many times "I enforce the rules without pride or prejudice" (or something like that, basically he does not put his own beliefs in to the rule).

What do you all think?