Ending game's due to darkness

[chapmaja]

Ok, what are the policies different areas have for ending games when it becomes dark. My current association does not use a specific policy. My former association's clearly stated policy was that no pitch was to be thrown after the time of sunset. We were to know the sunset time for the given day and inform the coaches at the pre-game conference prior to the first game of a DH of what that time is.

We also always have the option of ending a game if the conditions make the game unsafe, which can include light conditions. One school I have umpired at is located on the western slope of a river valley, so they lose sunlight behind the hills even before sunset. Add in the wonderful design to but the 3 story high school just west and uphill of the softball diamonds and you run into light issues earlier than sunset.

The last time I worked this school, it was JV in late March. The first game was a 4 and a half inning mercy rule game like 17-2. The second game was ended in the bottom of the second inning with the score 22-2 because of darkness. The visiting team was struggling so bad, I seriously wondered if they had ever seen a softball diamond before. The worst part, the temperature at game time was about 40 degrees and it just kept getting colder. I'm not sure it was above freezing when we ended game 2 due to darkness.