Rough Play

[YoungBuck]

Last night my DD had a practice at the local softball complex and on the neighboring field a 12U tournament was playing. I decided to take a seat and watch a few innings.

A couple innings in to the game on a wild pitch the runner from third came home to the pitcher covering the plate. The ball was tossed from the catcher to the pitcher. The runner rather than sliding, turning back to third, or avoiding contact decided to lower her shoulder and run straight through the pitcher. The pitcher was sent air-born landing hard. The pitcher held on to the ball and the umpire called the runner out. The next ten minutes was spent tending to the pitcher.

What amazed me in all of the this was that the runner was not ejected from the game and the coaches did not seem to question the malicious play.

Am I correct in most associations there is a rule about (1) avoiding contact and (2) malicious or unsportsmanlike behavior ?

 

[quincy]

Oh yes, from the way you described the runner should have been tossed.

Similar play happened to DD but the runner did not lower her shoulder so I am happy the runner did not get tossed. Umpire decided to warn everyone instead. Not that lowering the shoulder has any part of the rule.

(They would get tossed in MLB too. )

 

[Tatonka]

Happens way too much and there is way too much leniency with players and teams that do it. Happened against my DD catcher last week (thankfully it wasn't her sister covering home at the time as she was pitching), apparently the umps had already warned this team about that kind of play and specifically this other player who was also a catcher. My DD got the out and somehow stopped the runner cold but it could have been ugly.

 

[Merrill Danner]

same situation last weekend at state, my runner coming home from third decided to run through the catcher with an elbow leading the way, she was ejected.