LL Regional Obstruction

[UmpAgain]

I was watching the Iowa - Missouri Little League regional final last week and there was an interesting play.  I'm interested in everyone's opinion.  UEFL has it here: 

 

Rules: LL Majors

Situation: Bottom 6, 1 out, Home team down by 1.  R1 R2 1 out.

Looper to shallow right-center field.  R1 leaves the bag and collides with F3, recovers, keeps going, then pauses about 1/3 of the way to 2nd.  He is clearly watching to see if the ball is caught.  Ball is dropped by F8.  R2 scores, R1 rounds 2nd and is thrown out a 3rd with U3 signaling and emphatic out.  U1 comes running over signaling safe on the obstruction.  That's how the play ended.

My impression is that this was an incorrect call.  After the contact, R1 clearly stopped to assess whether the ball was caught, I just don't see hindrance here.  An even if there was hindrance, given his stop do you protect him to 3rd?

 

Thoughts?

BTW, the Iowa team is from the town I grew up in and my first umpire job was calling LL minors for them (n 1986!

 

Steve 

[LRZ]

https://umpire-empire.com/topic/77888-ask-uefl-obstruction-2-in-little-league-rules-review/

 

[Thunderheads]

Locking.  Discussion as shown by LRZ.