high school game-ending procedures

[BretMan]

10 after 5 in Ohio...plus, he have this state-adopted rule:

Any game may also end when both head coaches and the plate umpire mutually agree to shorten and terminate the game.

This can be used for any score, at any point in the game. I think I've only had it kick in once, when it was something like 20-0 after three innings on a cold wet evening. Sounds good on paper (we're ending early!), but those three innings still took almost two hours.

[chapmaja]

Originally Posted by BretMan

10 after 5 in Ohio...plus, he have this state-adopted rule:

Any game may also end when both head coaches and the plate umpire mutually agree to shorten and terminate the game.

This can be used for any score, at any point in the game. I think I've only had it kick in once, when it was something like 20-0 after three innings on a cold wet evening. Sounds good on paper (we're ending early!), but those three innings still took almost two hours.

I had a similar situation last season in my season opener in Michigan. Host school is the visitor for the second game of a DH. They score 11 runs in the top of the first, and another 11 in the top of the second, allowing only 1 run in the bottom of the first. Score after 1 and 1/2 innings was 22-1. This was after a 11-3 win in the first game which took forever as the visiting school's players may never had played softball before. We actually stopped the game on account of darkness (we implemented a rule that we stop AT SUNSET TIME) The worst part was that it was 45 degrees and windy at the start and only got colder.

Technically the game was not officially complete, but both coaches agreed to call it a completed game even though we never got 3 innings in of the second game.

[chapmaja]

One of my former associations instituted a rule for all of their umpires. We follow the same rules as Michigan allows for with one exception. On unlit fields the game is stopped AT SUNSET. We don't allow pitches after sunset because of the risk of injury because of darkness.

This sets a hard deadline for when the game must be completed that both teams know before the games start.

[Manny A]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

One of my former associations instituted a rule for all of their umpires. We follow the same rules as Michigan allows for with one exception. On unlit fields the game is stopped AT SUNSET. We don't allow pitches after sunset because of the risk of injury because of darkness.

This sets a hard deadline for when the game must be completed that both teams know before the games start.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't particularly care for that rule. It essentially sets a drop-dead time limit that coaches can manipulate to their advantage.

There's still enough daylight right after sunset that play could continue. Conversely, you could have conditions before actual sunset time that makes it too dark to play. Why take away that judgment from the umpires?

You want to do this for rec play, be my guest. But high school varsity? No way.