Out or play on
 

Had this happen tonight. I want to know the correct call so I know if I called it right.

Batter hits a ball that bounces in front of the plate. As she drops the bat, it lands in fair territory and rolls into the ball which is rolling towards the foul line.

What is the correct call. Both the bat and the ball were rolling at the time the contact between then occurred.

If both the bat and ball are moving and they move into each other, this is generally considered "the bat hitting the ball." If it occurred in fair territory and the bat was not in the batter's hands, that is a dead ball, interference and an out.

Which code is that? ISF 7.6.i.Exception2:

"If the batter drops the bat and the ball rolls against the bat over fair territory, and UN the umpires judgement, there was no intention to interfere with the course of the ball, the ball should be judged fair or foul depending on where it comes to rest or is first touched by a player."

So it's your call depending on your judgement. out of curiosity what was your call?

If the ball rolls against the bat - this is the right rule. Interpretation says this applies when the bat is at rest, although many will argue that when the ball is moving much faster than the bat (the bat is ALMOST at rest), this is also the proper rule.

But if both are moving, the "bat hits the ball" rule applies and the batter is out.

I thought that only applies if the bat is in the batters hands.

I don't have the ISF book here, but in ASA it's 7-6-K. That rule applies when the batter hits the ball with the bat a 2nd time... with an EXCEPTION that applies only if the bat is still in the batter's hands (and an exception that applies if the ball rolls into the bat). It is all part of the same rule in every ruleset I know.

ISF

Rule 7.6:
i. When he hits a fair ball with the bat a second time over fair territory. EXCEPTION- Sec 6i:
1. If the batter is standing in the batter's box and contact is made while the bat is in his hands, a foul ball is ruled, even if the ball is hit a second time over fair territory.
2. If the batter drops the bat and the ball rolls against the bat over fair territory, and in the umpire’s judgment, there was no intention to interfere with the course of the ball, the ball should be ruled fair or foul depending on where it comes to rest or is first touched by a player.

Rule 8.2.g:
2. Interferes with a fielder attempting to field a batted ball. NOTE: The batter-runner may run outside the one-meter line to avoid a fielder attempting to field the batted ball.
3. Interferes with a fielder attempting to throw a ball.
4. Intentionally interferes with a thrown ball.
5. Interferes with a fair-batted ball (out of the batter's box) before reaching first base.
6. (FP ONLY) Interferes with a dropped third strike.
7. Throws his bat, after batting the ball, in such a manner as to cause interference with a fielder’s opportunity to make an out.

My call was a dead ball, interference and an out. What I did not say in the OP was that the catcher had a chance to make a play and the ball was deflected away from the catcher by the moving bat. Since the bat contacting the ball occurred in fair territory and affected the catchers opportunity to make a play on the runner coming home from third (bases were loaded at the time), I had to call interference and call the batter out, returning the runners to the bases occupied at the time of the pitch.

Correct call, wrong reason. Doesn't matter if catcher did or did not have a play. If the bat hit the ball, you have an out.