Uncaught Third Strike - NCAA

[KJUmp]

Originally Posted by Andy

I need some help with a ruling based on NCAA rules. I know what the ruling should be for ASA and HS, but was unable to find a clear answer in the NCAA book. The play:

0-2 count on the batter, no runners on base, pitch comes in, bounces in front of the plate, batter swings for strike three. Ball deflects off of F2 back toward home plate, B/R who has swung now recognizes that the D3K is in effect and starts toward first. As B/R is discarding her bat (still in her hands),[/B] the bat hits the ball and knocks it away from F2 trying to retrieve it. It is hard to describe, but there was no "intent" to knock the ball away, it was a completley incidental contact. In ASA and HS, I would rule the B/R out for interfering with a D3K, but unable to find a clear ruling for NCAA....Help?

A rule citing would also be useful.

Interesting play....
12.4.13 covers the batter-runner making contact with the ball on a dropped third strike.

11.15.3 (Hitting Ball a Second Time) would be the applicable rule for your sitch:
"The batter may not swing and miss a pitched ball and then intentionally hit it on a second swing or after it bounces off the catcher or her glove/mitt.
EFFECT:The ball is dead, the batter is declared out, and each base runner must return to the base legally occupied at the time of the pitch."
That being said, the operative word there is intentionally.
You said in your sitch...."there was no 'intent' to knock the ball away."
However this part is a bit ambiguous...."As B/R is discarding her bat (still in her hands)....", was the bat in her hands or out of her hands when the bat contacted the ball?

In her hands, we've got a swing, now we've got decide if she did it intentionally to determine if we have a dead ball B/R out or live ball B/R advances with liability to be put out.
Out of her hands, we have a discarded bat, 11.14.3 (Dropped Third-Strike Rule), intent is not a factor, but unless the ball rolled against the bat (and your sitch had bat hitting ball), we've got a dead ball and an out.