high school game-ending procedures
 

I am curious as to which "mercy" rules are used for high school softball in different states. Illinois has adopted 10 after 5. A 15 after 3 rule would have been a tremendous help to me during a blowout game last weekend.

Arizona is 10 after 5, and just this year instituted a 15 after 3 1/2 or 4 at the option of the losing coach. If he chooses to continue playing the game must go 4 1/2 or 5 innings.

I believe here in Virginia, the adoption of the "10 after 5" run rule is delegated down to the district level. I say that because our association put out a guidance document for our region (four districts) that indicates both run rules and the use of ITB.

All four of our districts adopted the 10-run rule for regular season play. For district tournaments, one district does not use the 10-run rule, while the other three do.

For region and state tournaments, the 10-run rule is not an option.

"10 after 5" in Southern California and I believe all of the CIF.

In Georgia, we convinced the GHSA several years ago that the suggested 10 after 5 was a carryover from slowpitch rules (shared rulebook; that does match slowpitch run rules). As a result, our state adoptions match ASA; tiebreaker in the top of the 8th, 15 after 3, 12 after 4, and 8 after 5. Universally, not an option anywhere.

I wish our state would adopt the ASA rule.

I had a varsity game earlier this season in sub-freezing wind chills where the visitors had a 15-1 lead after four (would have ended then under ASA). Bottom of five, the home team scored five runs to make it 15-6 (again would have ended under ASA), forcing a sixth inning. :(

Top of the sixth, the visitors scored six runs, and the game finally ended 21-6 after six. I think my partner and I were out there almost 2-1/2 hours.

Speaking of ITB, our state leaves it up to the districts. But if adopted, it doesn't go into effect until the 9th inning (I don't know why...)

FL: 15 after 3, 10 after 5. No tie breaker.

We also go with the 1 after 7 rule... Yuk, yuk.

I've said 1 after 7 before and people just look at me like, "uh... well ah nevr hurdathatwun. Zit new?"

Texas only requires that schools use the 10 after 5 rule, but allows districts to include the 15 after 3.

1 after 7 is, though, my favorite.

How about one after 6 1/2?

I've said that every now and then. I had one coach who stayed at the plate after our conference was over ask me to explain that one to him.

Minnesota--10 after 5 with no tie breaker. Also, games that are not official and need to be stopped (generally for weather) are suspended and will restart from the point of interruption.

Nebraska ---- 12 after 3 (or 2 1/2), 10 after 4 (or 3 1/2), 8 after 5 (or 4 1/2)

I worked a HS tournament a few weeks ago. They had mercy rules and time limits in effect. Since inclement weather was forecast for the weekend, they also published alternate mercy rules and game time limits to be implemented if necessary. It became necessary....

Time limit - 1:15
Game length - 5 innings
Mercy rules - 8 after 3, 6 after 4, 4 after 5

We ended up changing the last one.......

How are you paid for resumed games?

That I like!

MD & DE - 10 after 5
TBR - MD 8th, DE 10th

By check. ;)
Oh, you meant how much. :D Depends on whether more than 3 innings.

:d

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.

It depends. I know some associations have per inning charges. The association I am manager of kind of plays it by ear. Depends on travel, if they are going to make it up as part of a partial doubleheader and how many innings we need to work in the makeup game.

In the metro area, if we arrive at a site and don't start, we get 50% of the game fee. If we throw at least one pitch and don't finish, we get 67%. If we return to finish a suspended game, we get 67%.

For some reason, some schools either don't know that or don't agree with it and they do whatever they feel like doing - which is usally short changing us.

The 'travel fee' for showing up and the game doesn't paid - except for forfeits of course - in our backyard in SE NYS is $30.

One pitch - full fee - although, of course we are 'suggested' not to do the one pitch and leave - HINT

in varsity to finish a suspended game, sometimes a full fee, sometimes not.

MN- your example is why scheduling and payment should NEVER be handled by individual schools - WAY too much opportunity for monkey business. WE may have to wait for our fees to work its way through a system, but the idea that our assigning agency is fairly independent, and that we have real contracts with them makes for smoother sailing in the long run, IMHO...

NH is 12 after 4.5 or 5.

I think it only came into play twice in 3 years.

That's probably because 12 is too high, IMO.

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.

Darkness rules
 

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.