Hit By Pitch in Coed Slowpitch
 

Hi, my first post I'm so excited!!!

Anyway, last week during a league game my team was visiting and was in the field at the bottom of the 4th (we play timed one hour games so 4th was final inning) and up 3-2 with no outs. We play co-ed slowpitch, but that shouldn't really matter.

Anyway, Batter (female) was in the box and the pitch came in legally, and grazed off her wrist and landed in the box. She made no attempt to get out of the way of the pitch. Umpire called Hit By Pitch and awarded her first base.

It should be noted that this is British Softball Federation and we play according to ISF rules.

Me, being the senior umpire in the league, immediately called time to argue that she can't possibly have first base as there is no HBP rule for slowpitch in the ISF rulebook. Blue claimed there was. I had no recourse to protest as we're a brand new league and haven't yet hammered out the details of protest situations, so next batter came up to bat. I understand that as I didn't protest then and there nothing could be changed after the fact.

Anyway, next batter came up (male) and singled, advancing the HBP female to second. Next batter came up and singled, but as the first baseman bobbled the catch, it left enough time for both HBP on 2nd and Singled on first to advance around to tie and score the winning run.

I did in fact immediately after the game pull my rulebook out to check, and I can't find a rule one way or the other explaining HBP in slowpitch. I can recall at our course, the instructor, when asked (this is the head of British Umpires, and sits high on the Euro Umpires) said jokingly that any batter stupid enough to not get out of the way deserves to be called out, but there's no regulation either way.

Am I remembering things wrong or am I right that HBP should not have been given first base, and instead just a ball?

Welcome!

I believe you are correct. I can't quote the rule at this time.

Also, I totally agree with your instructor. :-)

ISF 7.5.e (SP Only) Ball is called on the batter
8.1.f (FP Only) Batter become BR

I know of no SP rule set that would award 1B on a HBP. And it would be completely unnecessary for such a rule in SP; the batter has plenty of time to avoid being hit, and even if hit, there is little danger of physical harm. All that can be done is call a ball or a strike (if the pitch entered the strike zone). In the OP, it seems to me that the umpire must have been a FP (or possibly BB) umpire that wasn't aware of all the differences with SP.

THANKS!!!! For some reason in the Index of ISF rulebook, it doesn't guide you to 7.5.e So i had a bit of a time finding it last week.

I felt so chained to the ground because I'm effectively the U.I.C. for the league, but as we're such a new league haven't yet established development reviews for umpires, and since I was playing, there was no way I was going to start getting into it that badly with the blue.

Thanks again for the citation!

He's around mid-50s, his lad is on one of the league teams (but his boy's already in his twentys). He's got experience coaching little league baseball many years ago in England. The guy knows the game, and attended the BASU (British Assoc of Softball Umpires) course when i did back in March and passed the exams, so it's not a case of not being qualified. But I suppose when you don't get much game experience, and don't study the book you tend to muddle rules.