12-9-7 ... if she'd not intentionally stopped in front of the fielder, I have nothing... it was the stop (or intentional slow down at minimum) that leads me to calling INT here.

Just to save me from typing it again:

I know you have more experience than me with this rule-set. Maybe instead of just saying we're wrong you can explain why. It appears to me that this runner was not "merely running in front of the fielder", but rather slowed intentionally to make the play more difficult. I see the other side of it, and realize it's judgement - but if the umpire on the spot agreed with me ... would it still not be interference?

I'll paraphrase 12.19.1.4.2...

Merely running in front of the fielder or jumping the ball is not interference.

It is the stop in front if the fielder that gets the INT in my judgement.

Isn't that what I said, yet am being told I'm wrong?

I don't think she actually stopped in front of F6. She took two fast steps off the bag on the pitch, then slowed to see where the ball was going. Since F6 was in her way, she made a couple of shuffle steps towards 3B--granted staying in the vicinity of where F6 should field the ball--but avoided contact with the ball and the fielder.

I suppose the case could be made that she could have given F6 a wider berth, but unless the NCAA wants to start putting a clear-zone in feet/inches the runner has to avoid...

I will throw something else out there....

The level of ball is probably something to be considered as well.

Would this play be interference at 12u or 14u - almost certainly

16u or 18u - maybe....

NCAA - almost never.

I do not have near the NCAA experience that some do, but one of the things I have been told is that at that level, contact is almost always required for an interference call. The coaches know this and they coach runners to get as close as possible short of contact hoping for exactly what happened in the game.

The runner is required to avoid the runner and being hit by the ball. If in doing this, which is what I saw last night, she slows down and blocks the view of the fielder, so be it. The book doesn't say how fast a runner must be going when passing in front of the fielder.

This was a case of the ss needing to move to the ball regardless of the runner so that the runner can't avoid her or she simply makes the play. If she does that, it would be A&M up 1-0.

If that's the case, then this was entirely on the SS. She presumably has also been coached like this, and knew she should have more aggressively gone after the ball, runner be damned... (this was in reply to Andy)

I don't have an INT call for any rule set.

And Tom is correct in notating that some consideration should be given to this level of play

The runner was running and jumped over the ball which is permissible. The SS was not in position to field the ball. Was the runner's presence a distraction? Could be, but that isn't grounds for INT, the runner is supposed to be there and moving toward 3B.

Folks who do a lot of SP will tell you that when the player in question doesn't react like the rest of the team......it is usually a dead give away that nothing wrong happened.

These morons just don't know when to quit.

Tonight, it is all about contact. "The umpire didn't see contact, so there was no interference".

If the umpire did call INT, they would be whining, that shouldn't be INT because there wasn't contact.

When is ESPN going to realize that these ladies are not helping the cause? Oh, wait a minute, the Mouse doesn't care.

Try to visualize this play from from the 3rd base umpire's view. I did not have interference per rule 12.19.1.4.2.

Thank you Mike.....as a UT alum also.......I was a little dismayed seeing that this thread was about the Aggies instead of the Lady Longhorns........d;-)

As much as I hate the aggies........I usually don't allow it to go into the womens sports........

That being said........I did have a tough time rooting for the lady Gators today......I usually despise the Florida sports teams.........but, again.......I tried to not allow my prejudice to flow into the womens' team sports. (Sorry to Wade and Hugo)

I coached a pitcher that played for the Ducks a few years back.......I think it was the first team from there that that had ever been to the Regionals.......she was a little **** (actually about 6'2"....so she wasn't little, but still a ****).....so I cried no tears when they did not make it to the Super Regionals.......

One of my other girls is playing for Kentucky this year........she will not play as a Freshman, but just getting there is an honor.

Joel

I looked at this pay and I just do not see INT.