foul ball or strike out

[greymule]

Darned if I didn't have TWO of these plays on the last weekend of the season. Batter bunts, and the ball spins off to the catcher's right, never going more than about 4 feet off the ground. The catcher takes a step and lunges to her right to spear the ball just before it would have hit the ground. I called an out. Naturally, the offensive coach claimed the ball had not gone over the batter's head. I just said, "The catcher went to the ball, coach," and he bought it.

Later in the same game. A girl bunted and the ball just died in the air right at the spot it was bunted—it rose an inch or two above the bat and dropped straight down. It even stopped spinning. The catcher lunged forward and almost caught it, but hit it just barely on the foul side of the plate. I was glad she didn't catch it.

On balls like that, maybe you rule that if the catcher leaves the box to make the catch, it's an out. If she stays in the box, it's a foul tip. Still not sure.