No tangle rule?

[sluggers]

In baseball, there is a no tangle rule. If the catcher and batter get tangled in a ball in front of the plate, then neither obstruction nor interference is called.

Rule 6.01(a)(10) Comment:

When a catcher and batter-runner going to first base have contact when the catcher is fielding the ball, there is generally no violation and nothing should be called. “Obstruction” by a fielder attempting to field a ball should be called only in very flagrant and violent cases because the rules give him the right of way, but of course such “right of way” is not a license to, for example, intentionally trip a runner even though fielding the ball. If the catcher is fielding the ball and any fielder, including the pitcher, obstructs a runner going to first base, “obstruction” shall be called and the base runner awarded first base.

Is there something like that in softball?

Here's a video about the MLB rule:

 

[chinamigarden]

Never heard of that.

 

[Gags]

I'm being lazy and haven't checked the rules, but I think I looked into this as well a few years ago, and couldn't find anything that specifically addressed this issue.

IMO - there's times where the catcher can be quicker to a bunted ball than the batter, and we don't do a good enough job of coaching up the catchers to pounce on it right away.

 

[sluggers]

Never heard of that.

I posted a video about the baseball rule.

 

[CoachJD]

In baseball, there is a no tangle rule. If the catcher and batter get tangled in a ball in front of the plate, then neither obstruction nor interference is called.

Is there something like that in softball?

Nothing in NFHS that allows for this, as far as I can tell.

The batter-runner shall be called out when the batter-runner interferes with a fielder attempting to make an initial play on a fair batted ball (8-2-7a).

Like any other batted ball, the onus is on the runner/batter-runner to not get in the way.

 

[sluggers]

Nothing in NFHS that allows for this, as far as I can tell.

The batter-runner shall be called out when the batter-runner interferes with a fielder attempting to make an initial play on a fair batted ball (8-2-7a).

Like any other batted ball, the onus is on the runner/batter-runner to not get in the way.

The baseball tangle rule comes from a catcher trying to field a bunted ball and the batter trying to run to 1B. The catcher and the batter get tangled. In MLB, the umpire should not call interference or obstruction.

If there's no similar rule in softball, then what's the call? The catcher impedes the batter from going to 1B and the batter interferes with the catcher making a play on the ball.

 

[CoachJD]

The baseball tangle rule comes from a catcher trying to field a bunted ball and the batter trying to run to 1B. The catcher and the batter get tangled. In MLB, the umpire should not call interference or obstruction.

If there's no similar rule in softball, then what's the call? The catcher impedes the batter from going to 1B and the batter interferes with the catcher making a play on the ball.

I posted the rule. It's a fair batted ball. The batter-runner cannot interfere with the fielder making the initial play on that batted ball. This is no different than a runner on first crashing into the second baseman, who is in the process of fielding a ground ball (contact not required for interference in any of these scenarios).

The call is interference, batter-runner is out.