MORRIS COUNTY CATHOLIC SCHOOL LEAGUE SOFTBALL RULES Available for play: girls in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Guidelines/Rules If not specifically noted in these rules Little League Softball Rules will apply as these rules are what our Umpires are most familiar. Games are to be played from 3:30-6:00 p.m, except where noted on the official schedule. Teams should try to arrive to away games at least 15 minutes prior to start time. An inning must be completed even if it is 6:00 p.m. Any team traveling from a distance/or with a 3 pm. dismissal time is exempt from the 15 minutes prior to start time for games. St. Elizabeth game start time is 4:00 p.m. A game can be forfeited 15 minutes after scheduled game time when the visiting team has not arrived and no contact has been made (ie. Stuck in traffic/lost). Make sure your cell numbers are correct and turned on! The league assignor assigns umpires. If an umpire doesn t show and it is agreed to before game time, a coach or representative from each team will share equally the umpiring position for the opposing team (ie. A s team coach calls for the B team and B s Coach for A) and the game can and should be played. Please contact the league assignor and league coordinator should an umpire not appear for a game. A.D. s that receive complaints from coaches regarding an umpire will be required to submit a written, detailed report to be reviewed by the league as a whole for possible action regarding their ability to continue to work in our league. Please notify the league assignor and league coordinator who will work to resolve ongoing issues. The umpire is in complete charge of the game. The umpire s decision is final and binding. All games must be completed even if protested. A coach must report the protest within 24 hours after the completion of the game. Within 48 hours after the completion of the game, a written copy must be sent to the League Coordinator. To file a complaint or protest a game it must be filed through the League Coordinator and then be evaluated by the League Coordinator, League Assignor and two (2) neutral parties to be named. Any judgment call by an umpire is not subject for protest. Umpire s discretion: If in the umpire s opinion, a potential safety hazard exists
due to darkness, field conditions or impending weather, the umpire will make the decision to call the game. The umpire, however, cannot alter, in any way, the rules as set forth in this document. Each team will play with ten (10) players on the field. The tenth player to be called the short fielder and is located at the border between infield and outfield (on the grass) behind 2 nd base. As each field has different dimensions, the short fielder must be at least 10 feet behind the base path. The short fielder is allowed to cover 2 nd whenever necessary when the ball is in play. A team must have a minimum of eight (8) players to play. Any less than eight is an automatic forfeit. Four (4) called balls is a walk. A player may be intentionally walked without pitching by verbally requesting the walk to the umpire by the Head Coach. Three (3) strikes is an out. Called or swung. No drop third strike rule. Tenth (10th) batter cannot walk. Rule: The tenth batter will remain at bat until three (3) strikes are delivered (swinging or called), the ball has been hit into fair territory, or the batter has fouled out. A walk can be issued to the tenth batter, only if the bases are loaded. If the ball is hit into fair territory and an out is not made, the play ends if/when the ball is returned to the pitcher s mound or to the base in front of the lead runner. If the lead runner is more than halfway to home at that time, she will be awarded that base and the run will be scored. Bunting is allowed. If a batter squares to bunt, she is not allowed to swing away or slap bunt. If the batter does either, she is automatically out. If a batter squares to bunt and decides to pull back, the pitch will be called a strike or ball as is appropriate. If a player has two strikes and attempts to bunt, the batter is automatically out if the ball goes foul. The batter must drop the bat before she reaches first base. One warning (each) for both teams if a bat is thrown, next time it is an automatic out. This is a huge safety issue, repeated offenses by the same player is cause for a game ejection at the discretion of the umpire. Infield fly rule exists when called by the umpire. Rule: An infield fly is a fair ball, not including a line drive, which can be caught by an infield with ordinary effort when first and second base are occupied; or first, second and third base are occupied with less than two outs. When it seems apparent the batted ball will be an infield fly, the umpire shall immediately declare it an infield fly for the benefit of the runners and the batter will be called out. Runners advance at their own risk, after tagging up. A runner may steal from 1 st to 2 nd or 2 nd to 3 rd, but may only advance one base per batter; we want to encourage our catchers to throw down to the appropriate base. Stealing home is not allowed due to liability. It is not stealing home when
the ball is thrown past the pitcher and rolls into the outfield or outside the pitcher s circle. The ball is still live and the runners advance at their own risk! A runner on third can advance to home on a batted ball, walk to a batter with the bases loaded, or errant return throw by a catcher back to the pitcher after her pitch. They may not advance on a wild pitch. A runner may lead only after the pitcher has released the ball. If the runner leaves before the pitcher has released the ball, first offense per team, warning, second offense, she will be called out. Play is stopped when any player retains possession of the ball within a ten-foot circle of the pitcher s mound. Any runner who is more than halfway to a base will be awarded that base. Any runner who is less than halfway must return to their last occupied base. A substituted player must return to her original order in the line-up if she returns to the game. A substituted player is required to play at least one complete inning before she can be re-substituted. In case of an injury, a courtesy runner may be used but must be the last batted out player (not called out on the field). The pitcher must deliver the ball to the batter in an underhand motion. The pitcher may use any windup desired provided: she does not make any motion to pitch without immediately delivering the ball to the batter; she does not use a windup in which there is a stop or reversal of the forward motion of the hands and arms and is not facing the batter at all times; she does not make more than one revolution of the arm in a windmill pitch. The pitcher must keep one foot on the rubber during delivery of a pitch with a one step follow through. The strike zone shall be from the shoulders to the knees. If a pitcher hits 2 batters in an inning or 4 batters in a game, a manager or the game umpire may request to have the pitcher removed from the mound in the name of safety in the immediate subsequent batter. The pitching mound will be forty (40) feet from home plate. The bases will be sixty (60) feet apart. On any ball over-thrown that goes out of play or when a ball is thrown into dead ball territory, other than a normal put out at first base by an infielder, all runners receive the base they are advancing to plus a bonus base. Example: If runner is more than 50% of the distance to the next base, she is allowed to advance to that base plus the bonus base. If she is less than 50% of the distance to the next
base or no effort has been made to advance, she must return to the base she came from and only the bonus base is awarded. Sliding: You may not run into another player. In the event a fielder has the ball on a base, runner(s) must either slide or avoid contact when that base is involved in the play at 2nd, 3rd or home or give-up the base to avoid contact. Head first sliding is not allowed, unless diving back to a base to avoid a pickoff. The base runner may not interfere with the fielder fielding the ball even if she is in the base path. In softball the runner has the greater responsibility to avoid the fielder. The runner will be called out if interference occurs. However, a base runner is required to stay within the base path when advancing to the next base. The fielder must avoid the runner when not fielding the ball and the base runner will be awarded a base in the case of interference, at the umpire s discretion. The base runner is out if she is struck with a fair-batter ball or intentionally interferes with a thrown ball. The base runner is not out when hit by a fair batted ball if she is standing on base or the ball has been previously touched by a fielder. A fielder may not stand directly in the baseline except when fielding the ball. A fielder may not obstruct a runner advancing to a base unless she has the ball in her possession. A run shall not be scored if the third out of the inning is a result of: a) the batter being put out before legally touching first base, or b) a base runner being forced out due to the batter becoming a base runner. Unless time does not permit, all games must be played regardless of whether or not they have a direct bearing on the final standings of the league. Postponements must be rescheduled. If the game(s) cannot be played/rescheduled, both teams will be assessed a loss, by an assigned score of 0-15. League standings will be determined by won loss percentage (games won/lost) and then by final score differential. PLEASE GAME SCORES MUST BE CALLED IN OR E-MAILED TO THE LEAGUE COORDINATOR BY THE END OF THE WEEK (Sunday) BY BOTH TEAMS! All rainouts should be made up as soon as possible with the originally designated home team remaining the home team for the make-up. If the home team field is not available and it is agreed upon by both Head Coaches/A.D. s, then the game may be played on the visitor s field with the home team remaining so designated regardless of location. Calls should be made by 1:45 p.m.
A game shall consist of seven (7) innings. Games stopped due to time restrictions, weather conditions, darkness or a team is ahead by fifteen (15) runs shall be considered complete when 4-1/2 innings have been completed with the home team ahead, or five (5) innings with the visiting team ahead. The game is over. A tie game will be played out to its conclusion, unless time or daylight does not permit, in which case the game will continue from the point in which it ended as soon as it can be rescheduled. Uniforms: Shorts are allowed, players should be uniformly dressed. The catcher must wear masks, body protectors and shin guards. All players while batting, running the bases, and while acting as a base coach must wear helmets with a face guard/mask and chin strap. No metal spikes allowed. No jewelry is to be worn at any time. The home team will supply and keep the game ball. *Size 12, yellow balls will be used. One verified report of bad or unsportsmanlike conduct by anyone (coaches/players/fans) will constitute a warning and a second report will result in dismissal from the league. In the final tournament game two (2) carded umpires will be required. Umpire fees will be split equally between the two teams each game Paul Caruso League Coordinator 973-984-5514 862-812-0657 (Cell) paul.caruso@osurac.com Last Revised 04/01/2011