Hitting and Hitters Discussion homerun situation

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While in Tennessee at NSA B World Series I saw a 12u girl hit a ball over a 12' high 210' fence and it was still going. This girl was so excited she hit it that far that she nearly missed first base. Her first base coach called her back and pointed for her to step on the bag and then she proceeded to run all the bases for her homerun.

Here's the interesting part. The coach of the opposing team appealed the umpire's call of a homerun stating that this was "a ground rule double" ???? huh??? I did say that she hit it OVER the fence....when that didn't work he tried to say the first base coach "grabbed her and pulled her back to the bag"....the umpire refused to change his call (which was right to begin with) and gave her the homerun.

Now, if I'm a coach and a 12-year-old girl hits a ball that good against my team - I don't care if you run the bases WITH her and hold her hand....all I'm going to say is NICE HIT!!!! Just thought this was a funny story.

 

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Anyone have any funny stories from Nationals?

 

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Those fences were high at Chattanooga for the 12s.

During one game, we were in the field, a runner on third. 2 balls, 1 strike count on the batter. The next pitch was a ball. The runner takes off to 1st and continues without hesitation to 2nd. Since I was keeping score, I looked at my book again to verify that the count should now be 3 balls and 1 strike. I mentioned to the ump that the correct count is 3/1. He ask the official scorekeeper who told him that the count was 3/1. He then went to talk with the base umpire. Upon returning, he took his position behind the plate and signaled for the next pitch. I stopped him and ask what is decision was. He said, I had 4 balls, next batter.

Well, the softball gods knew the count. The next pitch, the batter smokes a one hopper past the pitcher and hits the runner leaving 2nd base. There is justice at times.

 

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NSA rule 8-8-F:

"A baserunner is out...when anyone, other than another baserunner, physically assists a baserunner while the ball is IN PLAY."

I'll forgive that coach his confusion on the assisted runner rule. Many people miss the tiny distinction between a ball IN PLAY versus a DEAD BALL.

On a home run over the fence, the ball is dead. There can be no assisted runner penalty unless the ball is live.

He gets no sympathy for his "ground rule double" theory. That's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard a coach utter- and I've heard some good ones!

I had a strange (correct, but unusual) call to make in a tournament in Westerville last weekend.

Runners on first and second. Batter draws a walk. The catcher throws the ball back toward the pitcher and promptly sends it into centerfield.

As F8 retrieves the ball, all runners have advanced to the next base and batter reaches first. F8 then slings the ball to the pitcher and promptly throws it over her head and out of play.

That's a two base award for all runners. R1 & R2 score, R3 gets third.

Defensive coach doesn't like the call. I explain it to him- he doesn't seem to quite get it- and we play on.

After the game, a grey-haired grandmotherly type corners me behind the fence and gives me a piece of her mind! Says that her daughters and grandkids have played ball for 35 years and she has never seen that call before and it can't be right!

I just smiled and said, "That's the great thing about softball. You can watch games for 35 years and you'll always see something new". ;D

 

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The fenses were a double stack chain link. No exaggeration on the height or distance of these fenses.

An offensive coach actually said to the umpire that it doesn't matter if he touched the runner or not, it was "over the fence" and therefore a dead ball. The plate umpire informed the manager that it doesn't matter what the other coach ranted and raved about because the field umpire simply said he "didn't see it" regarding the first base coach touching the runner.

The defensive coach told the first base coach that he was teaching his team the wrong way to play and teaching them not to play by the rules......I wonder what rule book he uses??

 

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Bretman - just goes to show - no matter how many times you think you've seen or heard it all - someone's grandma proves you haven't!!!!

 

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Hooray for fastpitch softball grannies>>>> too bad there arn't any grey-haired smileys....

 

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Hooray for fastpitch softball grannies>>>> too bad there arn't any grey-haired smileys....