Softball Game NFHS PLAY
R1 on 1B 0 Outs.
Batter hits fly ball down the Left Field Line.
F7 attempts to make a leaping catch and the ball momentairly goes into her glove. R1 Goes half way to second
and the first base coach upon seeing the ball go into the glove of F7 calls her back to first. F7 now hits the
ground and rolls and in the process her glove comes off and the ball comes out. The Batter Runner was running hard
the entire time and has touched first base, rounded partially and stopped. R1 in retreatuing to first base is
now passed by the BR who has rounded the bag
Mechanically the ball will remain alive and Who will be called out? The NFHS Softball rules book Rule 8-6-4
states the runner who passes a preceeding runner.is called out. Since R1 is the preceeding runner and she was retreating
She is still considered to have been passed by the batter runner even though the batter runner was stopped after
rounding first base. .Call BR out for passing R1.
The ASA rule book references Rule 8, Sec 7 D says " The runner is
out when a runner physically passes a preceding runner before that runner has been called out. If this was the 3rd out of
the inning, any runs scored prior to the out for passing a preceding runner count.
ASA Rule Supplement 39.
Passing a runner may occur while runners are advancing or returning to a base. Normally it occurs when a lead runner stops
to see if a ball will be caught and the trail runner, also watching the ball, does not see the lead runner stopped. The trail
runner, the runner doing the passing, is called out and the BALL REMAINS LIVE. To pass a runner, the trail runner must pass
the entire body of the lead runner, not just an arm or leg ahead of the trail runner.
When I read these scenarios it makes more sense that the ball remains live, versus a delayed dead since if the passing
were the 3rd out if you didn't call it immediately then the offending team could potentialy score a run. Therefore, I think
the proper mechanic would be as follows:
You would verbalize " The batter is out for passing another runner" in the
situation described you would almost have to say all of that since if you just say the "BATTER IS OUT" then the runner may
think the ball was caught. You couldn't just say the runner is out because in the play described you have multiple runners
so who is out ??? If the play included runners starting on 1st and 2nd at the beginning of the play then you could indicate
the "Runner from 1st is out" or something of that nature.
Another reason it can't be a delayed dead ball is then you wouldn't have ruled the Batter Runner out yet therefore the
FORCE would have to remain because you wouldn't be taking the plays in the order of occurence. When we decided the force was
gone since the Batter Runner is out we basically answered our own question of Dealyed Dead Ball vs. Live Ball.
In summation I think it is clear that the ball REMAINS ALIVE.
Steven E Fee
Western Area ASA of Pa. Umpire-in-Chief
This is also the ruling received from Kevin Ryan, ASA Supervisor Of Umpires.
A no-catch must be ruled to indicate that there was a no-catch on the fly ball so the base runner knows
what her status is as a base runner.
