Bunting R1 to 3rd base?

[Rocketech1]

What is your success in attempting to bunt a runner on 1st base all the way to 3rd on the same play. I have heard it mentioned here on occasion and DD had a HC who was always working on this in practice, thinking he could catch the defense napping, but I don't remember us every pulling it off in an actual game?

 

[Sweet Lou]

I would think past 10U it would be a play of limited success.

If you've got a really fast R1 who is stealing on the pitch (a bunt and run if you will) and a batter who can lay down a great bunt to 3B you might be successful.

I ran the play with my 10Us in practice a few times this year but mostly because it is a way to get everyone involved in learning their defensive responsibilities with no real standing around of any players. Players are either crashing to field, covering a base or backing up.

 

[James Smith]

I look at things on how they would work against our Team, runner trying to go to 3rd would be out almost all the time. Maybe a weak 10U or less you can get away with it.

Even if the 3rd is napping and caught in, she still should get to 3rd base before the runner.

 

[riseball]

Right or wrong seen it done in college with a 2 man umpire crew. Bunt is laid down and runner at first cuts bag short at 2nd on way to 3rd. Base umpire is watching 1st for a pulled foot, etc during play on batter/runner. They rarely will see the missed bag and it is up to opposition to make a successful appeal.

At lower levels quite often corners will have crashed and may not expect runner coming to 3rd. 3B is by the plate and LF is picking flowers or whatever. You then have footrace between runner and SS covering 2B to make play at 3rd.

 

[James Smith]

I wonder if I am looking at the wrong side of this. I wonder if I should be betting against the 1st basemen(or 2nd baseperson) making a good catch, making the out at 1st, and then making a strong throw to 3rd. I think you can get an idea if she can make this play watching the other Team warming up.

I might try this.

 

[riseball]

Good point. When you look at all the things that must go right to finally get the tag at 3rd it is way beyond the capabilities of many teams. And if things do go south, and they will you may score the run.

 

[starsnuffer]

I guess it could work if the defense is one of those teams that doesn't think a play ahead, I can see first and third and P crashing and left field sleeping as short covers second. Bet it only works once though.

This is why you have bunt rotations instead of just crashing. If 5 fields then 1 covers 3rd. If 2 fields then 1 goes to Home, 5 goes to first, 3 goes to third, ect.

-W

 

[smddad]

DD's TB team practices this play on defense. After the out is made, the throw is immediately on the way to 3rd.

 

[SCDad]

Right or wrong seen it done in college with a 2 man umpire crew. Bunt is laid down and runner at first cuts bag short at 2nd on way to 3rd. Base umpire is watching 1st for a pulled foot, etc during play on batter/runner. They rarely will see the missed bag and it is up to opposition to make a successful appeal.

At lower levels quite often corners will have crashed and may not expect runner coming to 3rd. 3B is by the plate and LF is picking flowers or whatever. You then have footrace between runner and SS covering 2B to make play at 3rd.

In top level softball Left Field does not pick flowers. Instead she knows the runner at 1st is her responsibility at 3rd. Always on a 200 foot field. Maybe different on a 220 ft field. But not really. Runner at 1st, bunt being shown, and LF is crashing 3rd and will beat the runner from 1st for the out.

 

[Sparky Guy]

At 14U last year I was able to pull it off twice in the same game with the same base runner and batter. The opposing team tried to be sneaky and have the LF cover 3rd. Both times my runner beat the LF'r to the bag. The girl batting was big and normally a good hitter. However, that game she was struggling with the pitcher. Even so, the outfield still had to respect her size and power by giving her a few steps. What made her such a threat was she was the best bunter on the team. She laid down two perfect bunts during consecutive at bats. The opposing coach was gong nuts after the second one.

At the lower levels it's fairly common. At the upper levels all of the pieces have to be in place. Even then, it's not a given.