Karma

[FleasOf1000Camels]

15u tournament, OBR.  All weekend, at every pre-game we have instructed coaches to keep their buckets, camp chairs, equipment, etc inside the dugout or in dead ball territory.  All teams have complied, except one...they routinely used the area beyond 3b dugout as if t were the dugout.

Championship game, they are leading 1-0 going to bottom of 7th.  1 out with R1-R2.  Batter hits sharp grounder straight to F4, could have/should have been game ending double play.  F4 fields ball cleanly, but has trouble getting ball out of his glove.  Toss to F6 gets the force, but F6 sees he has no play at 1st...he steps off bag and looks at 3rd.  R2 has taken a BIG turn at 3rd, and F6 throws behind him.  Bad throw gets past F5 and goes right in to the cluster of coaches, buckets, bats, catchers gear.  I declare ball DEAD and award R2 home with tying run.  After brief huddle with partner, we agree that BR had certainly reached 1st before F6's throw, so we award him to 3rd.

Coach is not happy "he was the batter, he should only get 2nd."  "Sorry, Skip.  Shortstop's throw was not the initial throw on the play, so runners get 2 bases from time of throw, not time of pitch."  He knows we are correct, but is obviously disappointed with what happened.  Perhaps I shouldn't have done it, but I couldn't resist the temptation to add "You know if all those coaches and gear were in the dugout where they belong, none of this would have happened."

Next batter drops a soft liner base hit to LF, game over. 

I feel sorry for the players (especially the pitcher who was outstanding), but the coach lost this game.

 

[stkjock]

ouch!

 

ball would have stayed live if not for the gear I take it?

[FleasOf1000Camels]

3 hours ago, stkjock said:

ouch!

 

ball would have stayed live if not for the gear I take it?

Most probably would have stayed in play if not for all the buckets, coaches and gear. Runner was diving back to 3rd, and not likely to have tried to advance if ball had stayed in play.