Girls Softball Division Rules I. Safety 1) All defensive infield players, except catcher, must wear either a mouthpiece or a facemask while in the field. The 1st baseman, 3rd baseman, and the pitcher are required to wear a facemask. 2) All batters must wear a batting helmet with an attached facemask with all hardware intact and unbroken. 3) A. Head first sliding into a base is prohibited and will result in an automatic out whether there is a play or not. B. A runner returning to a base from less than 10 feet may dive head first back into that base. 4) A. Any batter who, after swinging, discards her bat in such a way that it hits or nearly hits anyone, or is released in an unsafe manor as ruled by the umpire, shall have a warning issued to her team. Subsequent infractions will result in the batter being called out and all runners returning to the bases occupied at the time of the pitch B. Any player who throws their bat in anger or demonstration shall be ejected without warning at the discretion of the umpire. 5) No jewelry, metallic or otherwise, may be worn on any part of the body during the game. This includes earrings, bracelets, necklaces, anklets, rings, and hard hair beads. This is not a complete list of prohibited items. It is at the umpire s discretion to say what is allowed and what is prohibited. 6) Bat boys and girls are not allowed. 7) Anyone under 18, who is coaching a base, must wear a helmet with a face mask while on the field. II. Participation 1) A. All uniformed players in attendance must be in the batting order. B. If for injury or disciplinary reason that a uniformed player is not in the lineup, the opposing coach and umpire must be notified before the game. If a player is intentionally left out, they cannot come in at any point during the game. 2) If a player arrives late, they must be inserted at the end of the lineup. They must play defense before they are allowed to bat. 3) Free substitutions are allowed on defense with the players on the bench. 4) No player may sit for more than 2 consecutive innings without playing defense. Penalty: Defensive substitutions are made when discovered.
5) A. If a player is removed from the lineup during the game, an out will be counted in their at bat unless they were removed for injury or illness. B. If a player is removed for any reason, they may not return to the game. 6) If a player is removed from the lineup, which takes the team below 9 players, an automatic out is recorded in the vacant spot in the lineup. 7) A. Players pulled up are only allowed to meet the 9 player (12U, 14U) or 10th player (8U & 10U) minimums. B. Pull up players must be from a younger age group. 8) One pinch runner will be allowed per inning to allow the catcher to gear up and not delay the game. The pinch runner must be the player who made the last out whether from that inning or not III. Game 1) All games are 6 innings. 2) No new inning started after 1 hour & 30 minutes. Drop dead time is 2hrs. 3) An official game is 4 innings or 3 ½ innings if the home team is ahead. 4) A. Teams are allotted 1 minute to changes sides. The pitcher gets 5 warm up pitches only as time allows. The umpire has the discretion to not allow defensive warm-ups and to cut the pitcher short on warm up pitches. B. If the coach huddles on the playing field with the team before sending them to their positions, it will be counted as the official visit for that inning. It also counts against the one minute between innings. 5) There is a 5 run per inning limit with an unlimited run limit in the last inning of the game. If an over the fence home run causes more than the run limit, then all runs count and the inning is over. 6) There will not be any verbal walks issued. The pitcher must deliver 4 balls to the batter in order to walk them. 7) There is a 10 Run mercy rule in effect after 5 complete innings for all age groups. 8) Eight players are required to start a game. The 9th spot in the order would be an automatic out until a player fills that spot. 9) Dropped 3rd strikes and the Infield fly rule are in play. IV. Pitching 1) Pitchers are limited to 10 innings pitched per week. A pitcher cannot start two consecutive games in one week. 2) Pitchers can only pitch a maximum 4 innings per game. 3) The pitcher is allowed to walk two runners per inning. After the 3rd walk is issued, a coach from the team which is batting will take their place on the pitching rubber and will throw 3 pitches to the batter to who was pitched the four balls. The batter will only see three pitches and has the opportunity to either hit the ball successfully or make an out. This process will continue until the inning is over. This helps develop the pitcher while also allowing the game to progress.
8U Age Specific Rules Batting 1) On a batted ball, if the throw from the defense is made to 1st base, and the throw gets by the 1st baseman, the batter/runner may attempt to go to 2nd base at their own risk, unless the ball goes out of play. If that occurs, then all runners advance 1 base. If ball is just in fair or foul territory, the play is live and the runners can be put out at any base. 2) A. Each batter will receive a maximum of 5 pitches. B. A batter is put out either when there are 2 strikes and she swings and misses for the 3rd strike, or if the 3rd strike is foul tipped and caught by the catcher (regardless of how many times she might have fouled off the pitch), or if they do not swing at the 5th pitch. C. If the 5th pitch is fouled off by the batter, then the 5th pitch is to be repeated until the batter is either put out or gets a hit. 3) There is no infield fly rule and the batter cannot run on a dropped 3rd strike. Defense 4) The player playing pitcher s helper must have at least one foot in the circle and be behind the pitching machine (or coach) until the pitch is delivered. 5) Outfielders must start either in the outfield grass, or a minimum of 10 feet behind the base path, until the pitch is delivered. 6) Time will be called once the pitcher s helper has the ball in the circle, or the defense possesses the ball ahead of the lead runner, or if all runners have stopped advancing to the next available base. 7) Calling time is at the discretion of the umpires and may not be argued or protested. 8) The entire roster may play defense when their team is in the field. 8 players are required to start a game. The 9th batter s lineup spot will be an out until the team can get someone to fill that roster spot. 9) The defense is allowed to have a coach along each outfield foul line in order to help position players. The coach may not interfere with the play and also may not use his position in the field to argue calls with the umpire. General 9) Maximum game time is 1 hour 15 mins. 10) The Louisville Blue Flame pitching machine will be used in all tournament games per Babe Ruth. Coaches have the option to use the machine or Coach Pitch. 11) The machine (if used) shall be set at POWER-4 RELEASE BLOCK-3 MIRCOADJUST-3.
12) The coach from the team batting, or the umpire, shall operate the pitching machine. If the coach is pitching directly or operating the machine, they must remain in the pitching circle during live play to avoid interfering with the ball or a player. 13) If a batted ball strikes either the pitching machine, the operator, or the coach pitching, the ball is dead and the batter is awarded 1st base. All other runners move up one base if forced to do so. 14) If a thrown ball strikes either the pitching machine, the operator, or the coach pitching, the ball is live, unless the umpire determines that continued play creates an unsafe situation because the fielder has to reach into the machine to retrieve the ball. At that point, the ball is dead and all runners move up one base. 15) If either the machine operator or the coach pitching intentionally interferes with a batted ball, the ball is dead, the batter is out, and all runners return to the base last occupied. If it is a thrown ball, the ball is dead and all runners return to the last base touched at the time of the throw. 16) If the pitching machine breaks during the game, or is deemed unsafe, and no replacement is available, coach pitch shall be used to finish the game.
1) Defense has the option of a 4th outfielder. 10U Age specific rules 2) 8 players are required to start the game. The 9th batter in the lineup is an automatic out until a player fills that spot. 3) Unlimited substitutions and all players bat in the lineup. 4) No new inning started after 1 hour & 25 minutes. Drop dead time is 2 hours. 5) Runner from 3rd base may steal home although if there is a play at the plate, the runner must slide to avoid a collision with the catcher. If this does not happen, it is an automatic out. 6) No dropped 3rd strike or infield fly rule in effect. 7) The pitcher is allowed to walk two runners per inning. After the 3rd walk is issued, a coach from the team which is batting will take their place on the pitching rubber and will throw 3 pitches to the batter to who was pitched the four balls. The batter will only see three pitches and has the opportunity to either hit the ball successfully or make an out. This process will continue until the inning is over. This helps develop the pitcher while also allowing the game to progress. 8) Pitchers are limited to 10 innings per week. A pitcher cannot start two consecutive games in one week. 9) Pitchers can only pitch a maximum of 4 innings per game.