ASA Slowpitch Softball Question:

[dbrkrock]

I have a quick question about a situation that happened in an ASA Slowpitch Softball game. I need an rule interpretation or answer to this situation below.

Team A is batting in the bottom of the 7th with the scored tied 5-5. Team A started the game with 10 players. The first batter in the inning is called out on strikes. He goes off on the umpire and throws his bat into the infield area around 2nd Base. He is immediately ejected for throwing his bat by the home plate umpire. This situation takes Team A down to 9 players. The inning continues and Team A gets 3 hits in a row, and the winning run crosses the plate. Team B, the following day says the game should have been over after the Team A Batter was ejected in the bottom of the 7th, and they should have been awarded a forfeit based on the short hand rule dealing with ejections. Please provide feedback and rule if the umpires or the players were right on the following day.
Thanks!

 

[fuzzy2651]

Something tells me the defensive team should have brought this up as soon as numb nuts was ejected

 

[SammyJaxxx]

The Professionals can cite you the rule number, but the defensive team is right, had they brought it up at the time. If the forfeit wasn't awarded, the other team needed to file an appeal. Since they didn't do any of that at the time it happened, they have a loss.

 

[irishmafia]

The Professionals can cite you the rule number, but the defensive team is right, had they brought it up at the time. If the forfeit wasn't awarded, the other team needed to file an appeal. Since they didn't do any of that at the time it happened, they have a loss.

The defense shouldn't had to have done anything. The umpire should have immediately asked for a substitute and when none was available, declared a forfeit and left the field

 

[SevenBizzos]

Unless there's some league rule permitting it, you can't begin a protest the following day. They needed to inform the ump of the protest at the time of the rule violation. But the league may allow you to play shorthanded for any reason and has a right to make up whatever rules they wish...including when you can file a protest.

 

[fitzpats]

The defense shouldn't had to have done anything. The umpire should have immediately asked for a substitute and when none was available, declared a forfeit and left the field

Agreed, but if the umpire did not declare a forfeit at the time, then a proper protest should have been filed on the field due to the error in enforcing the rule set.

 

[MaverickAH]

I have a quick question about a situation that happened in an ASA Slowpitch Softball game. I need an rule interpretation or answer to this situation below.

Team A is batting in the bottom of the 7th with the scored tied 5-5. Team A started the game with 10 players. The first batter in the inning is called out on strikes. He goes off on the umpire and throws his bat into the infield area around 2nd Base. He is immediately ejected for throwing his bat by the home plate umpire. This situation takes Team A down to 9 players. The inning continues and Team A gets 3 hits in a row, and the winning run crosses the plate. Team B, the following day says the game should have been over after the Team A Batter was ejected in the bottom of the 7th, and they should have been awarded a forfeit based on the short hand rule dealing with ejections. Please provide feedback and rule if the umpires or the players were right on the following day.
Thanks!

The 1st thing you should do before you start looking for a rule citation from the ASA/USA Rule Book is to check your local league rules.

Now, by the rule book, "Yes", a forfeit should have been declared if the team did not have a replacement for the ejected player but more often than not, this is the kind of rule that most leagues change or modify.

 

[RDD15]

So I think we all know what SHOULD have happened. The question here is, now that we are day-after, does the losing team have any recourse to protest (not "appeal")?

 

[irishmafia]

So I think we all know what SHOULD have happened. The question here is, now that we are day-after, does the losing team have any recourse to protest (not "appeal")?

No, you would have to protest at the time the misapplication of the rule occurred

 

[JabNblue]

I have a quick question about a situation that happened in an ASA Slowpitch Softball game. I need an rule interpretation or answer to this situation below.

Team A is batting in the bottom of the 7th with the scored tied 5-5. Team A started the game with 10 players. The first batter in the inning is called out on strikes. He goes off on the umpire and throws his bat into the infield area around 2nd Base. He is immediately ejected for throwing his bat by the home plate umpire. This situation takes Team A down to 9 players. The inning continues and Team A gets 3 hits in a row, and the winning run crosses the plate. Team B, the following day says the game should have been over after the Team A Batter was ejected in the bottom of the 7th, and they should have been awarded a forfeit based on the short hand rule dealing with ejections. Please provide feedback and rule if the umpires or the players were right on the following day.
Thanks!

The umpire should asked, do you have a substitute for that player? If answer yes, player can enter all is legal. If no which appears to be the case and they say no. Ballgame forfeit.

 

[JabNblue]

So I think we all know what SHOULD have happened. The question here is, now that we are day-after, does the losing team have any recourse to protest (not "appeal")?

No, protest has to be declared on the field during the game. Unless like others spoke about, check local league rules. Umpire may have known something the players didn't.