Uncaught Third Strike - NCAA

[robbie]

Originally Posted by KJUmp

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.

Not arguing with the result of your post at all, but the batter does become a batter runner upon the 3rd strike not being caught.

Well, guess I should clarify too - That is the case in NSA - the only code I call.