Interference

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

A friend brought me this one. Please answer for all codes...

IFF hit to F6, who glances away right as the ball hits her glove - ball pops out, F6 tries to grab barehanded and slaps the ball into the air. R1 from 2nd starts running and is now in the vicinity of F6.

At what point does F6 lose protection from being interfered with and risk obstruction by being in R1's path? Does this change if this is not an IFF and we have only R1 on 2nd (the difference being that in the first case, BR is already out and the catch may not really be a "play" - where in the 2nd it definitely is).

Fielding a batted ball is its own thing; it does not have to otherwise be a "play" in the definitional sense. The IFF is irrelevant to the fielder's protection while trying to field the batted ball. As long as she is in the act of attempting to field the batted ball, she is not obstructing and the runner may not interfere. While "step and reach" was recently codified by NFHS, it has been a informal standard for a long time.