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This happened in our game a few years back........batter bunts in front of the plate, catcher fields the ball and throws to first and the ball sails over the runner's head and into right field. I ask the umpire if the runner was in fair territory and he said yes but "since the ball did not hit her then it was not interference, it was just a bad throw."
Like it or not, it sounds like you got a good explanation that is supported by the actual rule and interpretive literature.
For the umpire to rule interference on this play, the throw must be a "quality" throw, one that has some reasonable chance of actually retiring the runner. In other words, it must be both toward and within reach of the fielder taking the throw at first base.
If that wasn't the case, then on any close play at first with a runner out of the lane the catcher could get an out by purposely throwing the ball into right field.
Here's another way that the "quality throw" aspect of the rule can come into play- if the catcher does hit the runner with a throw that is angled away from the base (which could be the case if the catcher was more intent on hitting the runner than simply completing the play), the correct ruling could be that the throw was not of sufficient enough quality to have retired the runner. There would be no interference and the ball would remain live.
Forgetting for a minute about any moral aspect of purposely trying to hit a runner (which would be an almost impossible thing for an umpire to judge anyway, what with the runner, the catcher, the fielder and the ball all being in one congested area to begin with) the rules for this play provide a good balance of responsibility for both the offense and the defense.
The offense is responsible to stay within their prescribed running lane and to not interfere. The defense is responsible for completing the play in a normal fashion. If either side fails to meet their responsiblity, then the umpire can rule accordingly.
From a coaching perspective, the highest percentage play is to have your catcher make a normal throw to the fielder at first base and let the chips fall where they may. You'll either get the out or you won't.
Trying to hit the runner has too many downsides. It can be tougher to hit a moving target (the runner) than a stationary one (the fielder taking the throw), it can cause the throw to be angled away from the base (in which case it shouldn't be ruled interference anyway) and you might not get the interference call if the umpire judges the runner wasn't actually out of the lane.