Interference or Obstruction or ?

[stl_ump]

Kids ball playing OBR.

 

Relatively low skilled kids here and we get a little pop up just to the right of and behind 2nd base.

 

F6, who is pretty much in the "base path" between 2nd and 3rd, takes off to try and get the fly ball.  R2 starts to run for 3rd.  Both crash into each other.  The ball drops, R2 is laying on the ground "injured" and is tagged out.

 

I call it a train wreck and put R2 back on second.

 

If these would have been better skilled and older kids, do you think Interference would have been the call to make as F6 might of had a shot a catching the pop up?

 

Thanks

 

[ALStripes17]

If F6 was making a play on the batted ball, and he is the protected fielder at the time, it's Interference by R2. Skill level doesn't factor in here.

[johnnyg08]

Interference regardless of skill level

[maven]

The only thing you can't have here is a train wreck. Pop up on F4's side of 2B, I'm probably not protecting F6. But that's umpire judgment, and if F4 is picking his nose while F6 has a play, then you can grab INT. The ball is dead, R2 is out, the BR is awarded 1B.

 

If you don't rule INT, then this is OBS. This is type b, since R2 is not being played on when the OBS occurs. On a pop up, R2 probably isn't going anywhere, so no award is needed to nullify the OBS (in FED he'd have to get 3B).

[blue23ll]

I don't have a train wreck here at all. In OBR, the only time you can really have a train wreck is when the fielder,ball, and runner all try to occupy the same space. This was not the case here. @maven has hit the head on the nail here. 

[pnewton]

This can not be a train wreck because it is not a situation where both players are doing something they are allowed to do by rule.  Now without being there I can't say whether it is interference or obstruction.  If in umpire's judgement the second baseman had the play on the popup the shortstop is guilty of obstruction.  If in the umpire's judgement the shortstop had the play on the popup then it is interference.  Remember that you as umpire must decide which one player to protect as they make the play (it may change as the play develops).  In low level ball as you mention I usually protect whoever yells "I got it" - otherwise I protect the closest player.

[Rich Ives]

If the ball is "just to the right of and behind 2B" it probably is F6's ball in kids ball.

[stl_ump]

I probably would have gone with INT on older, better skilled kids but as these were 2 "Bad News Bears" type teams I just basically reset everything.  I explained it to both coaches and they were fine with it.  

Thanks all for the input.

[HokieUmp]

If the ball is "just to the right of and behind 2B" it probably is F6's ball in kids ball.

 

At certain age groups, if it's in the air at all, it's pretty much in the F3 - F6 range, with F1 thrown in, and F2, too, if he's one of those "go getter" types.