Continuing to second on a walk

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Aug 12, 2014
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I can't get a clear answer on this. On a walk, can the batter continue to second if the pitcher has the ball in the circle before the batter reaches first?
 
Jan 22, 2011
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Off the top of my head, LBR does not go into effect until the Batter-Runner reaches 1st, so as long as they keep moving, in theory they can run around all four bases. This is why our rec league until a few years ago only allowed 1 base on a walk in 12u and under. Now they only allow one base on a walk in 10u and under.

Pretty much the same all sanctions, but don't have time to look up the exact rule.
 
Jun 1, 2015
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The answer is YES. The look-back rule does not take effect on OTHER runners until the batter-runner touches first base. At that point, two things happen:

a.) Any other runners off-base must immediately (1) return to their previous base OR (2) continue forward uninterrupted to the next base UNTIL/UNLESS a "play" is being made on a runner (i.e. fake throw, actual throw - umpire judgment there) (in USA rules, a play on one runner = a play on ALL runners).

b.) The batter may immediately continue to second base and is allowed to stop ONCE (the location of the stopping is irrelevant). Once they stop, they too must either continue immediately forward OR backward directly to the next/last base (again until/unless a "play" is being made on a runner). In theory, a BR could hit 1B and go straight to 2B, stop one step before 2B and retreat back to 1B, and as long as she does not change her direction after she's stopped and continued either way, this is 100% legal.

[Not sure about other rule sets. I'm going off of USA Softball because that's what we are trained by here in NYS for high school softball.]
 
Nov 20, 2020
998
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SW Missouri
You can technically run around all the bases on a walk regardless of what the pitcher does or doesn't do. Again a walk is the same as a hit. Don't overcomplicate it.

+1. Treat it like a hit and act accordingly.

On DD's 12u-C team last year we had a girl who could just fly. She was instructed that, if walked, she drop the bat and sprint to 1B. If the 1B coach saw that C and P were being unattentive (or lazy), he would simply point to 2B and she were to continue without hesitation.

It wasn't an all the time thing, but she would end up on 2B quite often before the other team realized what was happening. Eventually the other team wises up and the play stops becoming available.

Now that DD is playing 14u B/A. I've not seen this play happen yet.
 
Mar 1, 2013
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FWIW - we had someone try this at the Special Olympics (Slow Pitch game). They were sent back but it was fun to watch everyone panic at something that doesn't usually happen actually happening. (They weren't out because the ball is dead on a walk in SP).
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Probably🤔 if someone has watched softball for at least a couple years have seen a runner on third situation with a batter walks and they keep trotting through first base towards second.

Common to add dilemma thinking to the defense. And push the envelope on getting a runner into scoring position on 2nd.
 

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