Interference w/o a Possible Play

[Manny A]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

10.4.a

Yeah, great.

Here's the problem: I had a situation during a weekend ASA tourney where an ODB did pick up a live ball with a runner on base. The runner was on third, and was on her way home after the catcher muffed the pitch. No way the defense was going to make a play on her, but when the ODB picked up the ball, the runner hadn't reached home yet. So I ruled a dead ball, and sent the runner back to third.

Of course, that opened up a whine session by both coaches. The OC wanted the run to score since she would have easily made it despite the ODB's bonehead mistake. That one was easily quelled because the rule on blocked balls is an immediate dead ball and runners return to the last base touched at the time of the dead ball call.

The DC wanted the runner ruled out because of interference. I said there was no interference since there was no chance of a play. But when I went back to look for the rule on blocked balls by an offensive player, I couldn't find anything to justify my call.

You would think that ASA could make a reference to a blocked ball by an offensive player or coach under rule 8-5-G EXCEPTION 3, and in RS #33H. But both only refer to equipment. They refer to it under the Definition of Blocked Ball, but that's it.