Obstructed runner retreating after reaching awarded base
 

Take the following sitch:

ASA. No runners on, no outs.

B1 hits the ball safely to left field, where the LF bobbles the ball on the ground. As the BR approaches 1B, F3 is standing on 1B. The BR significantly widens their turn, missing 1B entirely. The BR advances all the way to 2B and stops, then retreats to 1B to tag the missed base. Upon tagging 1B, the runner decides to go for 2B, where he is subsequently tagged out.

In the BU's judgment, the BR would have reached 2B had there been no obstruction. When the runner got tagged out at 2B, was he protected? Or, upon reaching their awarded base, was the protection removed?

ASA 8-5-B-1 An obstructed runner may not be called out between the two bases where obstructed.

That's what the rule says and I've never found anything that makes reaching the next base an exception to the rule.

I remember an ASA case play in which a runner is obstructed between 3B and home, gets trapped in a rundown (or gets trapped in a rundown and then is obstructed), but makes it safely back to 3B when the throw gets away from F5. The runner then tries for home and is thrown out. The ruling was that he was protected between 3B and home even though he had returned and touched 3B. So he is awarded 3B. (Of course, that's not the next base, but . . .)

As I remember, an exception to the blanket protection between bases arises if there's an intervening play.

A few other cases are mentioned in this thread, which dealt mainly with a different issue:

http://forum.officiating.com/softbal...nt-runner.html

The intervening play only removes their protection if they successfully reach the base they would have without being obstructed.

The only thing not mentioned is that the OBS occurs while the runner is in route to 3B, not home.

Had this play - (and a reasonable discussion with a frustrated coach)
 

HS Regional Semi-Final:

R1 on 3rd
R2 on 2nd

BR hits to short RF, ball caught on a bounce.
R1 safe at home, R2 rounds 3rd and is heading home, realizes F2 has the ball and starts heading back to 3rd.
We now have F5 in base-path between R2 and 3rd, F6 at (behind 3rd base) AND BR approaching 3rd base.
Throw from F2 to F5 is bad and goes past both F5 and F6
Sure enough, F5 obstructs R2 as she is diving back to bag.
R2 picks herself up and heads home...
F7 backing up the play picks up the ball and throws R2 out (not even close).

I'm walking toward the plate with my hands up hollering TIME, TIME, TIME
Took me a while to get PU's attention, but finally he looked at me and figured it out.
R2 was placed on 3rd.

Defensive coach (properly) asked to question me about the call.
Not having anything to do with this play, but earlier that inning he had to remove his pitcher as she had been called illegal for 3 of her first 4 pitches (Stepping back after hands had clearly come together - and stopped)

Frustrated, he asked ," yes, but isn't the obstruction over when she changes directions"?
Then the tried something about "having R1 on 3rd when R2 was going there"?????

He did his job, then went quietly back to his dug-out.

Nothing really to say here, just my turn to relate a war story.