3B slides into runner?

[obbay]

unusual play today (U14 NSA) - base hit, BR goes to 2B and sees an errant throw leaves the ball is rolling on the ground past 3B with no one covering 3B, so she turns it on to get 3B. SS is in a foot race with her for 3B while the 3B (fielder) gets the ball and gets there first by sliding into the runner! Runner is out.

I was talking with the umps afterward and they had never seen anything like it. It wasn't obstruction as 3B always had the ball. BR didn't know she had it (didn't see it) I was in the 3B coaches box and I didn't really see what was happening except the girl with the ball was running from foul territory toward the base so I told BR to hit the deck, thinking she could maybe avoid the tag. what I didn't expect was that the 3B was not going to apply a tag but instead when she saw the runner go to slide, she slid into her, stopping her before she reached the base.

fortunately no one was hurt on the play. The BR was DD who has been coming back from the broken ankle in Feb, so my first concern was that she wasn't hurt. then after, everyone on our side was asking if that 3B play was even legal. it was ballsy, to be sure. If I had any clue that 3B was going to take her out like that, I could've sent BR back before she slid. BR went into the slide thinking of avoiding a tag, not a body.

So while it was a dangerous play, it was completely legal, right? (I just want to know so I can explain it)

thanks

this was after the play and you can't tell what had happened i was standing at 3B in line with 2B and the 3B (conveniently no. 5) came running in from my left and wound up in the position you see here. I'm glad my runner was sliding feet first.

 

[eddieq]

Having not seen it but going solely on your description, I've got a runner out on that play. Unconventional, sure, but a good play.

 

[SCDad]

Once the defensive player has the ball, they have the right to forcefully stop the base runner from reaching the base.

As a base runner, it must be recognized, and avoid the collision and try to get around the tag. The base runner caused the collision and was at fault by the fact the defensive player had ball in hand.

It is the bang bang collisions when the defensive player does not yet have possession of the ball that I have a problem with.

 

[obbay]

Yeah, I did not question that she was out- only questioned if there was something I wasn't aware of that created an extenuating circumstance. I couldn't see that either player did anything wrong. It was just unusual.

There was no tag to avoid, the fielder intentionally collided with the (smaller ) baserunner and then applied the tag. But I agree that if the fielder has the ball, she has the right to stop the baserunner from reaching the base.
I think that had 3B attempted to cover the bag and apply the tag, the runner might have been able to get in safely.

Thanks!

 

[BretMan]

Since you saw it and I didn't...

Would you judge what the fielder did as being malicious? That is, would you say that the technique used was intended to injure the runner? If not, I don't think that you have anything here other than a fielder taking an unorthodox path to tag the runner. I'd probably need to see something more flagrant than that to judge this as unsportsmanlike conduct.

 

[obbay]

Thanks Brett, I would say it was just unorthodox, not unsportsmanlike.
Not malicious, just highly motivated