The Flush

This was a HS JV game.

Thank you Maven. That might be a common core issue.

I thought that might be the case, but wanted to ask to verify. Is there a penalty for the extra warm up?

Is a throw required before interference can be called on R1 for not sliding or peeling off going into 2B? This situation was a routine 6-4-3 ground ball with a 300+ pound R1 running straight into 2B standing up and being put out by 15 feet or more and the F4 either a) double clutched because he couldn't see around R1 and had take a couple steps before throwing too late to retire the BR or b) double clutched before deciding not to attempt to throw to F3 to avoid hitting R1. Are either of this situations interference without the throw hitting R1?

The catcher did not hear (or otherwise ignored) the plate ump say to send it down (i.e. last warm up pitch) and therefore the pitcher ended up throwing an additional warm up pitch. The ump called a ball before the first at bat of the inning began, although no one realized it until after the inning because it was not announced loud enough for the bench to hear. I have not encountered this before. Which NFHS rule covers this situation?

We definitely used CRs for our catcher last night (no need to CR for last night's pitcher). I was however reminded of the downside of CRs when the slow F1/F3 that is usually run for had to run for himself because he was F3 at the time and had already reentered the game. After a big hit that would have been a triple for anyone else, he got doubled off on a routine flyball to CF with 1 out. I blame his lack of base running experience. Maybe that is why it is considered a speed up option because it results in more outs.

We are in the Southern Ohio Conference II if you ever do work down here.

Thanks for everyone's help. I'll try to get clarification through our coach before tonight's game. I like the idea of the CR not just to possibly speed up play, but also to just get more kids involved into the game.

The game in question was against a conference opponent. Maybe all JV games are considered non-league games since they are not varsity games? I think there was some discussion between the 2 coaches and one of the umpires right before the 2nd time we ran for him.

I have become the scorekeeper for our high school JV team. I am new to scoring high school ball and the JV head coach is new as well. I thought he said Ohio does not allow CRs, but it seems like we were allowed to run for the same player twice in our last game and he still went back in to finish the game. This (very slow) player started as F3 and was subbed for after his first hit and then reentered to continue as F3. He later moved to pitcher and in the bottom of the 6th he had another hit. He was run for again, but still went back out to pitch the top of the 7th. If CRs are not allowed, how was he able to pitch the 7th since if he was subbed for a 2nd time he would not be able to reenter again? What am I missing?

Schrödinger's Foul.

If the ball, F3 and BR are all at the same place at the same time as per the OP, how do you decide whether or not there is a play being made on the BR?

The OP was about a judgement call. What about a rule misapplication? Son's team had bases loaded with less than 2 outs when R2 was hit by a fair batted ball. Umps called R2 out, but allowed R3 to score. I am just the scorekeeper, but I thought that R3 should return to 3B. I told our coaches I what I thought, but did not say anything to the umps. Opponent coaches said nothing. Our coaches said nothing. Run counted. Game ended in a tie. We get a first round bye and end up winning the tournament. Do umpires want outside info in this situation?

Son's team has faced 2 teams that wasted time like a pro soccer team. At least in soccer you can give a yellow card for time wasting. When they did a pitching change, the new pitcher had to go to the dugout to get a different glove, but it took so long to get that glove that he could been waiting on Amazon Prime to deliver it to him. And then catcher had to go get some water or they did a catcher change at the last moment. These 2 teams were 2 of the best we have faced and really did not need to waste time (at least to win these games, the could have been worried about their next games). These team also only batted 9 whereas most 13U teams near us still roster bat.

That's why we traveled from Ohio to Gulf Shores this week. And have had 2 rain delays in 2 days, plus it is raining as I write this as we wait for the first game of the day. But I am on the beach and it could be dry at the park a few miles away.

My son's team is playing in a big USSSA tournament in Gulf Shores this week and we faced a team yesterday that did this, except it was mostly led by the coaches. I think utrip is OBR based. Does that mean that it there is no specific rules against this for this tournament? It might have annoyed the parents more than the players or coaches. I don't think that our coaches ever made a complaint about it. This was also a team that had 5 coaches outside of the dugout for the entire game.

What are these batter's boxes that you speak of? Haven't seen one at a tournament yet this year.

We recently played at a 13U tournament at a park with mostly turf fields (Berliner in Columbus, OH). I assume there was a rule that said no spikes on turf or at least no spikes on the artificial mounds. We were playing on one of the non-turf fields with an artificial mound and the umps made a pitcher change shoes in the middle of an inning because of the rule. This team was from out of town and the pitcher did not bring another pair of shoes (or left them at the hotel) so the kid swapped shoes with a bench player. The umps were less concerned with the pitcher's white long sleeve undershirt under his blue jersey.

That happened in the Auburn-Alabama game a couple nights ago. 1 out, pitch in the dirt, check swing pops it up to F3 who catches it and throws to F5 as R3 was running on the play to end the inning. Except none of the crew saw it that way and ruled that it was a ground ball that bounced to F3. This allowed the run to score and the BR to remain on 1B.

We had a similar situation in a 13U game last week. The PU was friendly/chatty and since I am the scorekeeper he had asked me the inning and score during the game and he generally like to chat between innings. BR avoided contact with F3 and was called out on a close play. I commented to another spectator that BR had to go around F3 and it slowed him down. PU overheard me and said no, he chose to go around F3, but he did not have to. I don't know what he was implying , but don't really think he implied that he should have plowed the F3. Maybe he thought BR should have gone inside instead of outside (ball not thrown by F1 or F2). I am still not sure what to tell the BR to do in this situation to increase chances of being safe and uninjured.

This year I was promoted from coach to scorekeeper. Thanks to UE, I have better learned the rules about when runs count, the mechanics umps use to signal which runs count, and I always ask the ump if I miss his signals and then verify with opposing scorekeeper each inning. I don't know what I would do if the opposing scorekeeper disagreed vehemently (and was the home team). I guess the debate would be had immediately instead of 2 innings later.

The only questionable umpire we had this year was adamant that the fielder's feet determined the fair/foul status of the ball.

It is hard to imagine this happening to a lefty.

Is there a difference between the runner running into the fielder and the fielder running into the runner? Since the runner beat the fielder to the bag, it sounds like the fielder ran into the runner.

There were a few odd HBP situations in this weekend's 12U USSSA tournament. The pitcher had already hit the first 2 batters of the game with curve balls. A couple batters later, the batter leaned into a curve ball and let it hit him in the upper arm close to the shoulder. PU correctly did not give the batter first base, but instead called a strike. Doesn't the pitch have to be in the strike zone for it to be called a strike in this situation? Or is it an automatic strike if the batter permits the pitch to hit him? The batter did not duck into the pitch. He was essentially standing upright and turned his shoulder in and raised his arm to let the ball hit him. Even if it was over the plate, the pitch was too high to be a strike in my mind. With 2 strikes in the count, the same batter in a different game swung and missed a high and inside pitch that hit him in the helmet. I understand this to be a dead ball. Strike 3 and batter is out. Is that correct? PU said it was an uncaught 3rd strike and allowed the batter to attempt to reach first base. My last question is only coincidentally related to a HBP. Team only had 9 players at the start of the game (2 kids with broken arms). Batter swings at a pitch that hits him in the wrist. He was not able to continue in the game, so the team had to finish the game with only 8 players. Umps decided the batter was out on that PA, but that his next PA would be skipped without an out since he was missing due to an injury instead of an ejection. The only other time I have seen a player unable to continue was on a team with more than 9 players that was roster batting and his spot was also skipped without an out. Does it make any difference when a team is batting 9 vs roster batting a larger roster?