Short Handed?

[UmpireErnie]

Originally Posted by Zepp

A recent situation was brought up at our mid-high school season
meeting last nite.

Here's the sitch: (ASA rule set) Team A has only 9 players to start the game.
In the 3rd inning, Team A is batting with two outs and a player gets in a run-down, mis-steps and "tweaks" her ankle. She is tagged for the third out.
Team A takes the field with 8 players (2 outfielders) and the injured player remains on the bench. Team A completes the half-inning on defense and enters the dugout to begin their turn at bat. Team A bats through the order and the next batter due up is the player who did not play defense in the previous half-inning. She walks out of the dugout tells the umpire that she feels fine and wants to hit.

The question is: Should she be allowed to hit or not?

The debate was whether she has "left the game" since she did not play defense and therefore cannot return to the line-up (Rule 4-1-D-2-f)

FYI - Obviously,this was not a blood rule situation

OK so I think we all agree under ASA an injured player who leaves the game (i.e. fails to play on either offense or defense) with no sub available has invoked the short handed rule. If the injury involved bleeding, she can come back later and the team will no longer be short handed. If the injury does not involve bleeding, she cannot come back later.

You know, stated that way the rule sounds kind of weird but I am pretty sure that is what the rule book says.

Many of us do high school games under NFHS rules instead of ASA rules. I cannot find anywhere in the NFHS book that states that a player who leaves and causes the team to go short handed cannot return, except that a player who has been rendered unconcious may not play again in that game or any other game that same day without a written authorization from a doctor.

On the other hand some of the verbage in 3-3-8d seems to imply that the injured player cannot return.. "Once a team has gone short handed and another eligible player is available that player may fill the empty space in the lineup.

Hmmmmm....