Can you abandon your at bat?
 

Had a weird one at the 14U ASA National in Moline, IL last week. 1-1 count, R1 @ 2B. B2 bunts down the 3B line and it trickles foul. We reset with a 1-2 count. Eventually on a 3-2, B2 grounds out. R1 keeps rounding 3B and starts jogging toward her dugout (on the 1B line) obviously thinking the inning is over. She barely gets back safely. The inning ends when the next batter makes an out.

In getting together with my U1, he tells me we allowed 4 outs that inning. During the discussion, we figure out that B2 mistakenly thought she bunted foul with 2 strikes and went to the dugout believing she was the 2nd out. I never saw her go to the dugout because I had just followed a ball down toward the 3B bag.

Defensive team never says a word. However, the next inning while heading to the coach's box, the offensive coach asks what would have happened if he brought it to our attention that B3 replaced B2 in the batter's box prior to B2 completing her turn at bat. He was aware it was going on at the time but was fearful the ruling would be abandonment.

So ... what say you all? What would be the proper ruling if:
a) the OC appeals while B3 is at bat
b) the DC appeals while B3 is at bat
c) the DC appeals after B3 bats but before a pitch is thrown to B4

Can you get an out for abandonment on a batter, or only a runner and/or batter-runner? Is this merely a BOO?

Batters go to dugout to change bats, helmets, etc. and it seems to me it is only abandonment if on a base or advancing.

Looks like a BOO as long as B2 was not out.

Asides:
Why did U1 allow this or did he/she find out after the fact, without watching B2 running or not running to 1st?

Wasn't R1 thinking 3 outs a clue that something was awry? She apparently knew B3 was B3, and B2 was gone.

By the time R1 thinks there are 3 outs, it's too late for PU to fix the BOO - by then it would have to be appealed by the defense.

To answer the OP. A) fix it. B) fix it. C) BOO - you have outs.

U1 assumed he must have had the count wrong and she bunted foul for the 3rd strike and that we had two outs at that point. Afterward, he had given me a "two out time play" signal at which time I returned an emphatic "1 out" signal. U1 was the only one who was aware that B2 went to the dugout. U3 was unaware the batter in the box wasn't the same one who had just batted since he had a runner coming to 3B during the foul bunt attempt. When U1 and I got together and talked about it after the half-inning, I told him I hadn't seen the batter head into the dugout. It wasn't until the OC came out an inning later while heading down to coach 3B that I realized what had occurred. He asked me "What if ....?" and I asked him exactly what had happened. When he told me, I was pretty much shocked.

The offense knew things had gone awry, they were worried they would be hurt more by the remedy/ruling than leaving well-enough alone.

This one was talked about in the umpire tent for quite a while. :D

In this situation no outs for BOO
 

If B3 went to the dug out with a 3-2 count, thinking she was out, and B4 comes up to bat, if the defense appeals before a pitch to B4, then you just replace B4 with B3. Anytime BOO is detected before the improper batter has completed their turn at bat, you just replace with the proper batter.

Just curious....what did the UIC have to say about it?

Um .... what? Are you agreeing or disagreeing, and with which - A, B, or C? (None of the three has B3 doing to the dugout in the middle of her atbat - which is why you've lost me).

I believe we're getting a bit confused, here. Lemme try to clear it up.

B2 went to the dugout after bunting foul on a 1-1 pitch. B3 "started" her at-bat (or began to finish B2's at-bat ... however you want to look at it) with a 1-2 count.

Yes and correct the batter if D appeals.

There was a can of worms ready to explode at this point, you guys were lucky the batter put the ball in play on this pitch. Luckily the OC was aware of their mistake and it may not have been too bad, but... if this was a called pitch (ball four, strike three) the sh!t was heading to the fan in most cases. I can see it now, PU and U3 have B-4 or S-3 but U1 has 2-0 count prior to the pitch. Batter is confused because they think it was 2-0 and doesn't know why she should be out (or go to first). Defense now has a glaring BOO in front of them if they are paying attention. This could not have ended any better for you than it did. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good, I guess. ;)

mbc has covered this.

Looks like you have the batter sequence off by one. Maybe same logic, but harder to follow. :confused: Please recheck the OP. :)

Do you (and all) think a talk was appropriate at this point? Is it acceptable for U1 to initiate it, or is that outside protocol?

Not exactly a tangent, but answering the topic question in a manner that doesn't address the play (which I believe has been answered correctly).

The only manner of "abandonment" that can be applied to a batter (so far as I am aware) is failing to take a position in the batter's box when directed by the umpire. With two strikes, the penalty of a called strike after 10 seconds would result in the out.

But, since some one stepped in, and you didn't ask for the correct batter to step in, it doesn't really apply here.

Biting tongue, biting tongue, biting tongue...............

I figured that was coming! :)