Watching 10U - BR to 3rd!

[MD Longhorn]

Was watching a 10U game waiting for my partner for the next game to finish up. He was alone on this field and is in his first year. Batter hits the ball. The way everyone screamed this MAY have been the first time ever. With 79 people telling her what to do .... she ran to third and stayed there. Worse ... the defense threw the ball to pitcher and then did nothing.

Parents from both sides are alternatively laughing and yelling. Coach either doesn't say anything to her, or she ignored him, not sure which. Defensive coach requests time, and unfortunately, the umpire granted it. More unfortunately, the offensive coach came out too and joined the "discussion". I was close enough to hear much of it. Most of the DC's argument was of the form "She can't do that." and "That's just wrong" --- never any concrete anything.

Out of curiosity --- what would YOU do? I know what I would have done, but will wait to hear your answers.

This got a lot of discussion in the locker room, everything from missed base to LBR (including an interesting disagreement regarding what should be done if, while F1 had the ball in the circle, BR suddenly ran toward first ... or home... or 2nd!), to appeals, to running the bases in reverse, to "just fix it". Forget that it's 10U (where the inclination is probably more likely to ignore rules and just fix it) and rule as if this was somehow the 16U state championship.

ASA if it matters - interested to hear of a FED or even NCAA rule makes this different.

[youngump]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

Was watching a 10U game waiting for my partner for the next game to finish up. He was alone on this field and is in his first year. Batter hits the ball. The way everyone screamed this MAY have been the first time ever. With 79 people telling her what to do .... she ran to third and stayed there. Worse ... the defense threw the ball to pitcher and then did nothing.

Parents from both sides are alternatively laughing and yelling. Coach either doesn't say anything to her, or she ignored him, not sure which. Defensive coach requests time, and unfortunately, the umpire granted it. More unfortunately, the offensive coach came out too and joined the "discussion". I was close enough to hear much of it. Most of the DC's argument was of the form "She can't do that." and "That's just wrong" --- never any concrete anything.

Out of curiosity --- what would YOU do? I know what I would have done, but will wait to hear your answers.

This got a lot of discussion in the locker room, everything from missed base to LBR (including an interesting disagreement regarding what should be done if, while F1 had the ball in the circle, BR suddenly ran toward first ... or home... or 2nd!), to appeals, to running the bases in reverse, to "just fix it". Forget that it's 10U (where the inclination is probably more likely to ignore rules and just fix it) and rule as if this was somehow the 16U state championship.

ASA if it matters - interested to hear of a FED or even NCAA rule makes this different.

Here's my shot at it. If it happened in a 16U state championship, I'd have trouble believing it wasn't done on purpose and have running the bases in reverse. If it didn't happen on purpose she missed first and second on her way to 3rd. She subject to appeal and it's too late to go back. If she steps off the base while the pitcher has it she's out.
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HOW TO ROLL A JOINT

[clevbrown]

Here is my swing....
To address the Time Out request, I think the correct thing to do by rule is deny the time out as the play is still going on. The batter is not out or safe yet, she is just on her way to 1st base (although she is taking the long way there). So, you should tell the coach, time out is not being granted and continue to watch the play develope. This is easy to say after the fact. Honestly if it happened to me, I would probably have allowed the time out before I realized I should not have.

As far as what to do next, it just depends what happens. The defense could throw the ball to 1st and step on 1st and then an out should be called. A fielder with the ball could go tag the runner while she stands on 3rd and the runner should be called out.

What would really be weird is if the defense did nothing and the next pitch was thrown. At that point since the batter-runner never reached 1st I believe she is out for leaving 1st base early. I guess I could also see an argument for LBR once the pitcher had the ball in the circle since the batter-runner is not standing on 1st.

This is why it is harder to umpire 10U and 8U games than it is to umpire 16U games. The younger age groups is when all the weird things happen.

[MD Longhorn]

To the previous answers I'll ask...

When does the LBR begin taking affect after a batter becomes a batter-runner?
What does the leaving early rule say?

At the point of this "what would you do", there had been no appeal, or even a mention by the DC about missing bases or anything of the sort (and all his jawing was during TO anyway).

Yeah, he shouldn't have granted time - we still have a live ball here. I wouldn't have granted time for several seconds after he did... but assume he eventually HAD to, as nothing was happening.

[youngump]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

To the previous answers I'll ask...

When does the LBR begin taking affect after a batter becomes a batter-runner?
What does the leaving early rule say?

At the point of this "what would you do", there had been no appeal, or even a mention by the DC about missing bases or anything of the sort (and all his jawing was during TO anyway).

Yeah, he shouldn't have granted time - we still have a live ball here. I wouldn't have granted time for several seconds after he did... but assume he eventually HAD to, as nothing was happening.

Why not grant time? You didn't have any action and you didn't have any runners off base. Is this situation somehow much different if she runs 30 feet toward first and then takes off for third?
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ROLL BLUNTS

[SRW]

ASA 8.3.D. Dead ball, runner's out.