[ASA Coed] Blocking Safety Base?

[Stat-Man]

Had a scenario come up at a game last week played with ASA rules as the base set (plus local modificiations).

Batter hit the ball to the infield, and as the throw came to first, F3 sets up with the right foot on the white base and the left leg positioned to block off the orange base.

I realize that a fielder with the ball can block the base to his or her heart's content , but can a fielder do this?

It didn't matter in this play as the batter was not going to beat the throw, but I wonder what the call could be had the BR beat the throw and been hindered by this unorthodox positioning.

(Throw to F3 was not wild, errant, or coming from RF foul ground).

[DaveASA/FED]

Sounds like it has the potential to be obstruction to me. Again as we have discussed in other threads, the runner has to be hindered or impeded to get an obstruction call. In your case if they were hindered or impeded in the umpires judgment without posession of the ball and not in the act of fielding a batted ball it would be obstrucion

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by Stat-Man

Had a scenario come up at a game last week played with ASA rules as the base set (plus local modificiations).

Batter hit the ball to the infield, and as the throw came to first, F3 sets up with the right foot on the white base and the left leg positioned to block off the orange base.

I realize that a fielder with the ball can block the base to his or her heart's content , but can a fielder do this?

It didn't matter in this play as the batter was not going to beat the throw, but I wonder what the call could be had the BR beat the throw and been hindered by this unorthodox positioning.

(Throw to F3 was not wild, errant, or coming from RF foul ground).

"hindered by this unorthodox positioning" is the criteria, and also for "orthodox positioning".

[Stat-Man]

Thanks for the replies.