Scorekeeping Question

[SoAZDad]

An uncommon play happened Sunday in our ASA 12U tournament last Sunday. I'm the team scorekeeper.

The situation: Top of 2nd Inning, 1 out, runner on 1B. Batter squares to bunt. Pitcher and corners charge. F4 covers 2B and F9 is playing right-center and doesn't back up first. Nobody is covering 1B. F5 fields the ball and throws hard and kind of high to 1B (nobody there). From my angle, the batter-runner beat the throw if 1B would have been covered. Live ball bounces off dugout fence and rolls deep into foul territory along RF line. R1 scores and batter-runner scores.

Mental errors don't count as errors, but 3 were made: F5 should not have thrown to an empty base, F4 should've covered 1B, and F9 should've backed up the throw. I thought through it and scored the play as a single by the batter with a 3-base throwing error on F5 that allowed R1 and batter-runner and to score. I rationalized the F5 made a physical error by throwing the ball to an empty base.

I appreciate input on how others would have scored the play.

 

[Sweet Lou]

Runner beat throw so 1B

3 base throwing error on F5 (3rd base)

So I agree with you.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Runner beat throw so 1B

3 base throwing error on F5 (3rd base)

So I agree with you.

I second this motion.

 

[canyonjoe]

I agree with the other 2. I believe by DFP bylaws if the first 3 answers agree then it's automatically correct.

 

[starsnuffer]

I agree with the scoring above.

That said, in my opinion as a coach, it is not the fault of F5. I teach my players to make the throw to the bag, and trust that their teammates will be there. As a coach, I would not have faulted F5, she was doing her job.

-W

 

[Greenmonsters]

I agree with the scoring above.

That said, in my opinion as a coach, it is not the fault of F5. I teach my players to make the throw to the bag, and trust that their teammates will be there. As a coach, I would not have faulted F5, she was doing her job.

-W

I concur on the scoring; however, as a coach, I would have to fault myself for not working enough with the players so that they understood their responsibilities (or for putting them in positions that they haven't practiced). If it were just one player, maybe its the player, but when there's 3 involved, then there's an underlying issue.

 

[SoAZDad]

If it were just one player, maybe its the player, but when there's 3 involved, then there's an underlying issue.

FYI, the team we played (on defense in the OP) is new, they formed about 4 months ago and are sponsored/coached by a local baseball/softball training company.

Thanks to everyone who commented so far, I appreciate it.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

According to NFCA's ATEC scoring guide and NCAA softball scoring rules, the fact 1B wasn't covered is enough to credit the hit. It doesn't matter whether the throw was in time or not because not covering the base is a mental error.

After that, the runners advanced on a 3-base throwing error by F5 and no RBI for the batter.

 

[Scorekeeper]

…That said, in my opinion as a coach, it is not the fault of F5. I teach my players to make the throw to the bag, and trust that their teammates will be there. As a coach, I would not have faulted F5, she was doing her job.

That’s why there are coaches and SK’s. The SK’s job is to record what took place. The coach’s job is to manage the team and coach the players.

 

[newsoftballdad]

That’s why there are coaches and SK’s. The SK’s job is to record what took place. The coach’s job is to manage the team and coach the players.

LOL. In my third year of SK vs. coach, still trying to get that down!

BTW, I would have scored it the same way. Hit, 3 base error on the throw.