Here we go agian-umpire/baserunning

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Thanks Bretman, I appreciate that. So would it be a delayed dead ball? See what happens on the play then if runner gets thrown out you call it?

 

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If a fielder is blocking a base to impede a runner (ie: committing obstruction) and the runner plows the fielder (ie: commits interference), the obstruction is ignored and the interference call takes precedence.

The runner still needs to avoid contact. If she can't reach the base because she was obstructed, then she is awared the base on the obstruction call.

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ok Bretman
How can you have interference on a pitcher standing in the baseline waiting for a throw that is not thrown, wouldn't that be, no play was made. Meaning the pitcher was not making a throw, was not recieving a throw, was not fielding a ball, was not making a tag, was not catching a ball, was not even envolved in any part of the play... so how can there be an interference by the runner on a pitcher that was standing in the runners way for no other reason other than to obstruct the runner.

 

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Parma,

OP stated that this game was played under high school rules. Under high school rules, plowing into a defensive player is always regarded as interference, no matter if the defender is in the act of making a play or not. Their rule is designed to prevent contact anywhere on the field by making all avoidable contact illegal.

ASA (for one) is different. Interfering with a fielder means that a play must be prevented. On the play in question, interference could still be called if the catcher had the ball before the runnner reached the plate and there was any possibility of a throw to the pitcher. If the catcher had not yet got the ball when the collision happened...then there was no play to be made and thus no interference.

Under either rule set, if the contact was malicious or flagrant the runner should also be ejected. But just because a runner is obstructed it never gives the runner "a free shot" to purposely knock the fielder into next week!