Slid too early?

[ousafe]

10U (LL minors) game.  0 out, pitched ball gets away from F2.  R1 tries to advance. Throw from F2 to F6 at the bag takes F6 two steps from second toward first.  R1, slides way early and into F6, who is crouching to field the throw.  R1 is stopped well short of the bag upon making contact with F6.  The ball arrives about the same time as the runner (maybe a bit later).  F6 digs the ball in the dirt (nice play) and tags R1 lying next to him. 

It could easily be argued that R1 would never have made it to the bag, had there been no contact with F6, because he started his slide so far away (these are small kids and don't slide far).  It appeared that R1 initiated his slide because he was taught always to slide when there was a chance of a collision at a bag/plate.  He absolutely should have run around the fielder, but he chose to slide instead.

What's your call?

What's your call if R1 dances around F6 but still gets tagged before reaching second?

 

As a spectator, I thought it might be OBS.  But I'm not sure if F6 is absolved of OBS because the throw took him into R1's path. But F6 could have more easily caught the throw if he'd taken a step in toward F2, catching the ball at his knees on the fly instead of in the dirt.  In my mind it seems wrong to absolve OBS because of a poor throw on the part of the defense.  And I'm not sure how to think about the "he wouldn't have made it to the base with that slide anyway" argument.

 

[basejester]

Had to be there, but that sounds like obstruction.

 

[Mister B]

In LL, the fielder needs to have control of the ball, if he's going to be in the way. As you described it, it's OBS. 

Also, it doesn't matter on whether or not he would have made it there. He didn't get the chance because F6 was in the way.