By OHSAA rules can a game end at a half inning and he considered official?
Game finishes top of 6th with home down by 3. Lightning delay stops game, second lightning delay suspends game, to be resumed at a later date. Later game is called official. Done.
I thought since it went past 5, it was official and half inning did not matter. Others think home team should've had the chance to finish the inning and game could not be official with this ending.
Thoughts???
FROM THE BOOK...
18
PRINT,
COPY THIS PAGE AND KEEP IT WITH YOU DURING GAMES
PROVIDE IT TO JV and FRESHMEN COACHES
Considerable confusion exists year after year in the area of complete or suspended games.
Recently, it has surfaced that schools and/or leagues have chosen NOT to follow these adopted procedures. It is important that ALL SCHOOLS are informed of this regulation as it MUST be followed.
Penalties for non compliance range from fines to suspension from the OHSAAA Tournament. These procedures are part of the OHSAA Adopted Softball Regulations and must be followed.
These procedures are here to describe Game Ending and Suspended/Interrupted Game procedures. MOST softball games end when the team behind in the score completes its turn at bat in the seventh inning (or an extra inning) or when the
home team scores the go ahead run in the seventh inning (or an extra inning).
The following exceptions to this are:
-
Coaches and
the plate umpire may mutually agree to end a game early. This could be in situations where there is a tremendous lead
after 2 or 3 innings and both coaches simply agree to end the game.
The score stands and the game are over.
-
Anytime a team has a ten run lead and the team behind in the score has completed its turn at bat in the fifth inning OR the home team takes a ten run lead in the fifth inning, the game ends.
Though a game also ends when it is forfeited under NFHS Rule 4 - 4, no OHSAA contest can be forfeited until after it has started. A game that is not started is considered a ?NO CONTEST?, regardless of reason.
Suspended Game Procedures
No game is every ?called? and ?started over? at a later date.
When a regular season game is interrupted or suspended for ANY reason and the game cannot be resumed that date, the game will be SUSPENDED if the team behind in the score has not completed its turn at bat in the fifth inning.
When a game HAS gone beyond the fifth inning, it is a complete game, subject to these TWO EXCEPTIONS:
1. THE GAME IS TIED. The OHSAA does not permit any softball game to end in a tie. All games are considered as ?won?, ?lost?, or ?suspended?. Therefore, a tied game is a ?Suspended? game.
2.THE GAME HAS GONE FIVE INNINGS AND THE VISITING TEAM HAS SCORED ONE OR MORE RUNS TO TIE THE SCORE OR TAKE THE LEAD AND THE HOME TEAM HAS NOT RE-TAKEN THE LEAD AND THE
GAME IS CALLED WHILE AN INNING IS IN PROGRESS BUT BEFORE IT IS COMPLETED.
When a suspended game is completed, it shall be continued from the point of suspension with batting orders and lineups the same.
Substitutions may be made. Any player that may have been suspended from the original contest is suspended and not able to play in the resumed game. Suspended games that are never completed simply go down as a ?No Contest?.
End of Game (Suspended/Complete Game) Procedures
Examples of Completed/Suspended Games
1. In a regular season game, the home team is ahead 2-0 after FIVE innings and:
-
The game is called prior to the start of the sixth inning due to darkness:
Ruling: COMPLETE GAME
-
The first batter in the top of the sixth inning
is at bat with any count on the batter and the game cannot be completed:
Ruling:
COMPLETE GAME
-
The first batter in the top of the sixth inning reaches base and the game is called.
Ruling: COMPLETE GAME
-
The visiting team scores one run in the top of the sixth inning and the game is called at any time during the sixth inning.
Ruling:
COMPLETE GAME
-
The visiting team scores two runs in the top of the sixth inning and the sixth inning is not complete, nor does the home team re-take the lead in the bottom half of the sixth inning.
Ruling: SUSPENDED GAME
-
The visiting team scores two or three runs in the top of the sixth inning and the sixth inning is not completed nor does the home team retake the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Ruling: SUSPENDED GAME
-
The visiting team scores two or three runs in the top of the sixth inning and the home team retakes the lead in the bottom of
the
sixth inning. The game is called later in the bottom half of the sixth inning or after six complete innings.
Ruling: COMPLETE GAME
http://www.ohsaa.org/Portals/0/Sports/Softball/sbmanual.pdf
