Decent question from softball dot com.

[DaveASA/FED]

I don't disagree with the idea that F5 should have had time to make a play on that ball, but in NFHS rules isn't she still in the act of making an initial play on that batted ball?

Section 47 Art 3:Initial Play. A fielder is considered to be making an initial play on a fair batted ball when she:
a. Has a reasonable chance to gain control of a ground ball that no other fielder (except the pitcher) has touched.

The way the play was described it seems that fielder still had a resonable chance to gain control of that fair batted ball (again assumming it was still fair, if it was foul we just have a foul ball).

In ASA I think we would look at two rules, 8.7.J1: When a runner interferes:
1. With a fielder attempting to field a batted fair ball or a foul fly ball, or

I think you could agrue this as applicable....is that fielder attempting to let the ball go foul an attemp to field that batted ball? It's certainly a play on the ball...letting it go foul is a way to play that batted ball for sure. Am I stretching it some to say that's "attempting to field" the ball? Maybe but not sure...

Also rule 8.7.K would depend on what the fielder did, did they let the ball pass them then go back behind it to wait for it to go foul? Or did the ball always stay in front of them? And as others have said, if they were touching the base when they touched the ball, this one might not apply based on the answers to the above questions.

K. When a runner is struck with a fair untouched batted ball while not in contact with a base and before it passes another infielder excluding the pitcher, or if it passes an infielder and another fielder has an opportunity to make an out.
EFFECT: The ball is dead and the runner is out. All other runners must return
to the last base legally touched at the time of the interference.