Hitting at Pitcher

[busher63]

One of my fellow umpires had this situation last week and was unsure of the best way to diffuse things before someone got hurt. Open Men, ASA Class B level, after some verbal exchanges, batters from both teams start hitting the ball directly at the pitcher. The plate umpire theatened to call the next batter out who hit one up the middle. Both teams complained that the umpire could not tell them where to hit the ball and that they could not control where the ball went when it was hit. I don't by the last arguement, as 99% of the players at that level, that I have seen, can control the direction of the ball 99% of the time. Isn't there some rule somewhere that protects the pitcher in the upper divisions? I am real curious as I have the misfortune of calling these same two teams on Wednesday.

Thanks