Another WCWS Call: Runner Hit by Batted Ball
 

Sorry I can't remember the other team (if somebody can point me to the brakets on-line, I can figure it out). Hawaiii versus (?), Saturday night, the game where Hawaii was eliminated.

Bottom of seventh, Hawaii trailing 7-9. They have a runner on first base.

Batter hits a hard grounder just to the right of F3, who is playing in front of the bag. F3 lunges to her right and makes a desperate stab at the ball as it passes her. The ball passes her about two feet from her outstretched glove.

R1 is off the bag, passing behind the fielder. The ball hops and hits the runner in the foot. U1 immediately comes up with a strong dead ball signal, points at R1 and calls her out.

The ball was definitely past the fielder. From what I could see, there was no other fielder behind the runner who could make a play. This one sent me to the NCAA rule book, thinking that maybe they have some different interpretation regarding a runner hit by a batted ball that's "past the fielder". Apparently, they don't.

Did anyone else see this? Was there something I missed? Why was this runner called out?

As usual, the talking heads offered no insight, other than to spew some garbage about a runner being out whenever the ball hits her and to offer the sage advice that "runners need to keep their eye on the ball".

against North Dakota State?

Was Hawaii vs North Dakota. Just watched replay on ESPN3, was top of 7th. F4 was looping in behind the runner and clearly had a play on the ball if it had come on through.

It may also depend on what it means to be past the fielder or "passed the fielder".

If there was no other fielder with a play then:

In OBR baseball passed means within reach so it's an out because it wasn't within reach of the fielder.

In FED baseball it's not an out because it was past (behind) the fielder.

I don't know what NCAA SB uses but it's something you have to check before a rush to judgement or a bad call.

F4 is behind and has a play. I'm not convinced U1 checks that F4 is there before calling the out.

(This board needs a media library.)

There is a guy on the basketball board that was able to take specific plays from the NCAA basketball tournament and post the video of that specific play anybody had a question about....

He explained in one thread how he did it...but I got lost in the geek speak about three or four words in....

Maybe one of you tech guys (Dave) can figure that out.....

Here is the link to the thread on the basketball board....

http://forum.officiating.com/basketb...03-thanks.html

K, you asked.

Recording 201252113162 - YouTube

I know the OBR interpretation. I know the FED baseball interpretation. Of course, neither would apply here.

Note that I did refer to the NCAA rule book before posting. To answer my own question, what I was missing was the shot with F4 sliding in behind the runner with an apparent play on the ball.

Well, F4 was coming, but whether she had a reasonable opportunity to make a play on the runner or batter-runner may be questionable, she was a little deep for my liking.

But it is what it is.

Loved the shot of the Hawaii 1stBC with the hat on backwards. Nothing like wearing it "properly and as designed" at a nationally televised NCAA regional.

The opportunity certainly would have been more "reasonable" if the runner didn't interfere.

What I didn't care for was how quickly the 1BU killed the play though. We obviously need to kill the play and not have it continue too long as that could lead to confusion, but wouldn't be a good idea to look at the other potential defender? Perhaps he saw her in his peripheral, but would it kill to turn your head to actually look where she was?

thought i saw on the camera angle from 1st base side up high a slight turn of the head at first contact of ball by runner. anyways, i think it was a great call.

So how does NCAA SB interpret past or passed? It matters does it not?

Sadly we have no NCAA ball here in The Last Frontier but I believe this is the same in ASA and NFHS as NCAA.. yes the ball is clearly past F3 so the ball hitting the runner would be ok.. unless the umpire judges that another fielder had a chance to make a play. Then if untouched batted ball hits a runner we still have int.

Having seen the replay I believe this is what B1 called and I think it's a great call. I am going to give the benifit of the doubt to B1 that he did actually see the other fielder coming in to have a play and that's why he make it. I am not convinced we can tell from TV what was and was not in his field of vision.

Good call, F4 clearly had a play.