WHAT'S THE RULE?

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I was wathing the Arizona vs Tennesee game last night. A batter puts down a bunt on the first base side. While running to first base she drops her bat in the path of the rolling ball. The ball rolls into the bat and stops. The fielders don't pick up the ball and the runner is called safe at first because the ball hit the bat not the bat hitting the ball. I would have thought this would have been a dead ball????????

 

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I saw this too, I also thought it would have been a dead ball.

 

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I believe since the ball hit the bat the call was correct. If had been the bat that rolled and hit the ball, it would have been a double hit and it would be a dead ball batter would have been out.

 

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We had this happen in a game this last weekend and the umpire stated that bat becomes part of the playing field once it is dropped. As stated last night the ball must hit the bat not bat to ball.

This is something that maybe bretman could clarify.

 

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I watched the slow motion replay, and the ball hit the bat, not the bat hitting the ball. They explained the rulling and if the bat hits the ball it is a dead ball, but if the ball hits the bat it is still a live ball.

 

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NSA Rule Rule 9 sec 2 (r)

"If the batter drops the bat and the ball rolls against the bat in fair territory, and in the judgement of the umpire, there was no intention to interfere with the course of the ball. The batter is not out and the ball is alive and in play."

NCAA Rule 9

"The batter may not drop or throw the bat such that it hits (lands on) the ball in fair territory. EFFECT - The ball is dead, the batter is out, and each runner must return to the base legally occupied at the time of the pitch." The exception to that rule basically says what eveyone here says, if the bat is dropped and the ball rolls into the bat, the ball alive and in play.

I don't have the ASA rulebook in front of me, but I believe the rule is the same as the NCAA rule.

 

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This is one of those rules that is universally applied to all softball rule sets, and even to all baseball rule sets. (We need more of those!)

The rule of thumb (as already stated): The bat hitting the ball equals interference and out; the ball hitting the bat equals no penalty, live ball, play on.

The lone exception to this rule is if the umpire judges that the batter intentionally discarded her bat to place it in the path of the rolling ball. In that lone case, the ball could roll into the bat (ie: ball hits bat) and the umpire should rule interference.

 

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That is correct.... bat hitting the ball, ball hitting the bat..... I had to explain it in the first two tournaments in NW Ohio.... despite explaining the rule, coaches still want to argue the call.
Here's some advice to coaches.. if you don't know the rule, accept what the umpire says. Don't "think" that you know the rule. I also heard a coach arguing a call who then said at the end of the argument... "well, that isn't the way it is in baseball"...... I told him that we are not playing baseball here, we have bigger balls.