Errors Vs Effort

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sjw62000

just cleaning the dugout
Sep 1, 2018
93
33
North Carolina
It sounds like what everybody is saying is the scorekeeper's experience and objectivity are sometimes the deciding factor; and a judgement call must be made.

So now there are two camps; just like any judgement call. The hitter (read hitter's parents), are upset that it wasn't ruled a BH (OBP 100%, BA .000). The fielder (read fielder's parents) will be upset their daughter was charged with an E, but it's okay for the P because the E might keep it from driving up her ERA.
 
Jun 7, 2019
170
43
In my mind, with the line drive to 2B where she foolishly chose to dive for the ball instead of playing it straight up (it WAS described as a line drive, so there should have been plenty of time to get the out at 1B), this is poor judgement, but not a scorable error. But I checked the NCAA softball scorer's guide.

"NO ERROR IS CHARGED
Section 22
b. When there is a mental mistake. Throwing to the wrong base is considered a mental mistake."

Choosing to dive for a ball that's hit right at you is a mental mistake, but not an error.
 
Oct 4, 2018
4,611
113
It sounds like what everybody is saying is the scorekeeper's experience and objectivity are sometimes the deciding factor; and a judgement call must be made.

So now there are two camps; just like any judgement call. The hitter (read hitter's parents), are upset that it wasn't ruled a BH (OBP 100%, BA .000). The fielder (read fielder's parents) will be upset their daughter was charged with an E, but it's okay for the P because the E might keep it from driving up her ERA.

Screw the parents. :)
 
Apr 28, 2019
1,423
83
So - two plays from the past weekend have been making me think about scoring errors and they both involve the "ordinary effort" clause.

One was a defensive play for our team and the other was a defensive play for another team.

1st play:

Waist high line-drive directly at 2b. She recognizes that it is going to hit the ground before it gets to her and tries to make the catch. She charges and dives at the ball and the ball hits the dirt just under her glove and goes under her as she falls.

2nd play:

Similar hit - waist high line drive to the right of SS. She moves to her right (maybe 3 steps) to intercept the ball and it bounces - slightly changing direction- so that it misses her glove and hits her left knee (which was out front and moving at the time) and gets knocked all the way off the field behind 3rd.
Is doesn’t sound like either play should be ruled an error. The 1st play sounds like she should have played the ball on a hop/short hop. I applaud the diving effort but probably ill advised.
#2 Fielder could have done everything right and in position to make a play and then a bad hop foils the play. I would give them both a pass and rule 2 hits. I would also remind the infielders to manicure their areas and get rid of any small rocks and fill in any divets.
 
Jun 7, 2019
170
43
Trying to double up a base runner? A scorer isn't necessarily going to know the intention of the player though....

This is the first mention that there were any runners on base, and that any DP was possible. But even so, then yes, this was a still a bad decision. Just for the sake of discussion, let's look at the possibilities.

You described this as a "Waist high line drive directly at 2b." And if she can dive for it, then by definition, that had to be a one hopper. Assuming these are at least 12's or 14's with the skills to pull off a DP, what are her options?

If the runner is on 1B, and she takes the dive and makes the catch, MAYBE she can get a quick flip to 1B to double her up off the bag. But if she takes the one hopper, it's an easy force at 2B and good chance to get the batter at first. If the runner was on second, it would be an extremely difficult play regardless of what the 2Bman chose to do. And if the runner was on third, then a DP on the dive would again be very difficult. But, depending on the score, fielding the ball on one hop allows them to get the quick out at first and go home for the play at the plate, or check the runner on 3rd, get the quick out at first, and have a better chance at the plate if the runner still went. Or, if the runner went on contact, and the defense couldn't give up the run, they'd have a good chance at the out at the plate with an accurate throw. All better options when you play the easy one hopper in front of you rather than diving for the catch.

Sorry about the long post. Just resting in the midst of what's going to be a lot of games these 3 days at an 18U tournament, and thinking through whether having a runner on base with a chance at a DP makes me think the dive was a better option, or even an equal option. But it doesn't. Even if there's a chance to get a DP, I think it's clearly the wrong decision by a long shot. But, it's still not an error.
 

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