Defense causing runner to lose contact

[JefferMC]

On another board, a conversation has cropped up around a poster positing the following situation:

Runner dives back into bag, hand makes contact with bag, fielder applies swipe tag forcefully enough to cause the hand to lose contact with the bag.

Assuming you see all of this, in this order, is the runner out?

Of course everyone knows that the defense isn't permitted to push a runner off the bag. Don't they? How? I can't find it in the rules that you can't.

So, short of something so obvious that it draws a USC call, what rule keeps the defense from causing a runner to lose contact with the base so they can apply a tag for an out?

[MD Longhorn]

There is no clause in the ASA Obstruction rule that can be applied to this situation.

[MD Longhorn]

In fact, there is no actual printed rule that I'm aware of in any code (softball or baseball) that leads us to this common sense ruling. Guess this falls into the God rule of your various rulesets. Assuming the runner was not off balance, i don't know any umpire who would call an out on this. Don't tell Kent Hrbek.

[HugoTafurst]

Originally Posted by JefferMC

On another board, a conversation has cropped up around a poster positing the following situation:

Runner dives back into bag, hand makes contact with bag, fielder applies swipe tag forcefully enough to cause the hand to lose contact with the bag.

Assuming you see all of this, in this order, is the runner out?

Of course everyone knows that the defense isn't permitted to push a runner off the bag. Don't they? How? I can't find it in the rules that you can't.

So, short of something so obvious that it draws a USC call, what rule keeps the defense from causing a runner to lose contact with the base so they can apply a tag for an out?

Interesting question.
If its all what I judge to be "natural action" for instance, bang bang -slide-touch-swipe, I've got an out.

If I judge an unnatural act by the fielder for the purpose of dislodging the runner from the base, I've got nothing. Maybe an USC issue to deal with.......

Unless someone comes up with something sooner, I'll look up a rule reference later.