Touching Home Going Back?

[Manny A]

Brain cramp time: HS varsity game, bases loaded with one out. Batter hits a fly ball down the right field line. R1 assumes the ball is going to drop, so she heads home and touches the plate. However, F9 somehow manages to run the ball down and makes the catch.

By then, R1 is about ten feet beyond home heading for the first base dugout entrance. She hears everyone yelling for her to go back to third. So she does. She makes a beeline for third and beats the throw. However, she never came close to touching home on the return.

Or does she even have to? I honestly can't recall if the rule to touch bases in reverse applies to home as well, and I don't have my NFHS rule book handy to look it up.

Fortunately, the defense never made any sort of appeal.

[DUNDALKCHOPPER]

Same question came up in our ASA Ump class tonight. Federated Umps think you can't run back to a base once you cross home, and ASA umps were saying yes you can as long as you retouch home.

[RKBUmp]

Dont have the rule number to cite, but yes, the runner must retouch all bases passed in reverse order to tag up, including home. The FED umpires you are referring to may be thinking of a runner who has legally scored cannot unscore themselves by retreating back across home plate.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by DUNDALKCHOPPER

Same question came up in our ASA Ump class tonight. Federated Umps think you can't run back to a base once you cross home, and ASA umps were saying yes you can as long as you retouch home.

I don't know what Federated Umps are ... but those in your group are incorrect. In both codes (NFHS and ASA), they can return to 3rd to try to avoid being appealed for leaving early, and in both codes they MUST retouch home on their way, or they can be appealed for missing that "base".

[Tex]

Agree with MD's comments.