How to score this play?

[Hube111]

We lost in the bottom of the last inning on this play and it knocked us out of the tournament. Looking back I'm not sure it was scored correctly. Here's the situation.

Runner on 2B, 1 out, in the bottom of the 5th and the score is tied at 6. Time has been called so it's the last inning unless we can hold them and force another inning. The pitcher throws the ball in the dirt, and the catcher (my DD) blocks the ball. As soon as the pitch hits the dirt the runner is off to 3B. C picks up blocked ball and makes throw to 3B. Throw is a bit low at the 3rd basemen feet but right there for a tag. I have no idea if the ball short hops, and 3rd basement doesn't even know after play is over, but ball and runner arrive at 3B at about same time in a cloud of dirt. I'm in the opposite dugout and all I see is Ump looking around and I thought he was trying to see if 3B has held on to ball. Instead, ball has rolled probably 10 feet behind 3B and is resting against fence to dugout. The only person who seems to realize this is the 3B coach for other team instructs runner to get up and she runs home before SS or 3B can find ball. Runner is give 2 stolen bases, one for 3rd and one for home. Is this right?

Considering the ball took a 90 degree turn from the direction it was thrown, the only conclusion we can come up with afterwards is that the sliding runner either kicks glove on slide, or ball hits runner's foot and changes direction. 3rd baseman has no idea what happened afterwards. Ball did not hit her and she has no idea if it was ever it her glove as it all happened so fast. It was rough way to lose.

If feel like there should be an error somewhere here but on whom? The catcher, the 3B? Maybe there is not an error, but does the runner get credit for 2 stolen bases?

 

[canyonjoe]

I would score it a WP to get to third and and error on C unless I thought the 3B had it and runner knocked it out sliding then an error on 3B. No stolen bases if I'm scoring.

 

[djcarter1966]

I would score it a WP to get to third and and error on C unless I thought the 3B had it and runner knocked it out sliding then an error on 3B. No stolen bases if I'm scoring.

Probably this in both instances the person on defense who lets go of the ball and then that ball is either over the head or in the dirt gets the error/WP (different categorizes). While WE expect the person to field bad throw some of the time as the scorer when the ball hits the ground on a throw it's no longer ordinary effort.

 

[Sweet Lou]

I would score it the same as Canyon Joe

 

[TMD]

Since the catcher successfully blocked the pitch in the dirt and made a play to 3B, is that still a WP? I always thought it needed to get past/way from the catcher to be a WP. I know the NCAA rule book defines a WP as "A pitch that the catcher misses and could not be expected to catch, resulting in a runner advancing." Catcher blocked pitch and made a play at 3B, so I may be inclined to give the runner a steal and then scored on an E2 (or maybe E5...would need to see it).

 

[4 girl's dad]

I think any pitch in the dirt is a wild pitch, blocked or not. Could be wrong but that is what I have learned on DFP.

 

[canyonjoe]

Since the catcher successfully blocked the pitch in the dirt and made a play to 3B, is that still a WP? I always thought it needed to get past/way from the catcher to be a WP. I know the NCAA rule book defines a WP as "A pitch that the catcher misses and could not be expected to catch, resulting in a runner advancing." Catcher blocked pitch and made a play at 3B, so I may be inclined to give the runner a steal and then scored on an E2 (or maybe E5...would need to see it).

Isn't what you described exactly what happened. The catcher didn't catch the pitch because it was in the dirt so the runner advanced to third?

 

[TMD]

I guess, but I always thought (probably mistakenly) that the ball had to get past the catcher for it to be a WP.

 

[Hube111]

Thanks to everyone for the input. I knew it wasn't 2 stolen bases, I just wasn't sure where the error was placed to get the runner home.

 

[TexAg1998]

Since the catcher successfully blocked the pitch in the dirt and made a play to 3B, is that still a WP? I always thought it needed to get past/way from the catcher to be a WP. I know the NCAA rule book defines a WP as "A pitch that the catcher misses and could not be expected to catch, resulting in a runner advancing." Catcher blocked pitch and made a play at 3B, so I may be inclined to give the runner a steal and then scored on an E2 (or maybe E5...would need to see it).

Any pitch in the dirt is deemed wild if a runner advances, whether the catcher blocks it or not. Think about the wording in the NCAA rule book (14.28 for reference). It never says the ball has to get past or get away from the catcher, but simply that the catcher is unable to handle it with ordinary effort and a runner advances. That's exactly what happened in this case according OP's description, so the runner advanced to 3rd on a WP. If the catcher's throw hit the runner or the runner kicked it away before 3B could catch it, then E2. If the 3B caught it and it got knocked out, then E5. No stolen bases.


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