Slow Pitch, Pitched Ball hits the ground, bounces and is batted

GirlsSlowPitch

New Member
In USSSA Slow Pitch, a pitched ball hits the ground before reaching home plate then bounces into the strike zone and is hit into fair territory by the batter, what is the call and the 2021 USSSA or GSL rule reference?
 

GirlsSlowPitch

New Member
Thank you for your reply, do you have the 2021 USSSA or GSL rule reference?
Only thing I find is Sec. 4 "A BALL IS CALLED BY THE UMPIRE on each pitch not swung at by the batter if: A. The pitched ball does not enter the strike zone. and B. The ball strikes the ground before passing completely across home plate, or any part of the plate.
The issue at hand is the ball was swung at and hit, and this rule specifically states "not swung at".
General consensus has been it is a dead ball because it hit the ground first regardless if it was swung upon or not. Others say it was swung upon so it is either a strike or a fair hit. I can't locate either reference in the slow pitch rule book.
 

ShortYellowBus

Well-Known Member
Perhaps I wasted your time. There’s other guys here who can come up with specific language for exacting application of said rules. I am not an umpire.

Some umpires will award a walk to guys who don’t want to walk and swing lazily to stay alive in their at bat. I don’t know where in the rules that’s permitted either.
 

fthrmulcahy

The Veteran
Thank you for your reply, do you have the 2021 USSSA or GSL rule reference?
Only thing I find is Sec. 4 "A BALL IS CALLED BY THE UMPIRE on each pitch not swung at by the batter if: A. The pitched ball does not enter the strike zone. and B. The ball strikes the ground before passing completely across home plate, or any part of the plate.
The issue at hand is the ball was swung at and hit, and this rule specifically states "not swung at".
General consensus has been it is a dead ball because it hit the ground first regardless if it was swung upon or not. Others say it was swung upon so it is either a strike or a fair hit. I can't locate either reference in the slow pitch rule book.
There is no rule in USSSA slowpitch against batting a bounced pitch and it should be judged fair or foul as any other legally batted ball would.

You answered your own question in your comment by quoting rule 7.4.B: it’s a ball if it’s “not swung at.” What that rule is essentially saying is that if a ball bounced in front of the plate but then passed through the strike zone and wasn’t swung at, it would still be a ball because it bounced before reaching the plate. But unless someone is going to quote a rule that says you can’t bat that ball, it’s clear you can.

I am on an email thread that has casebook questions from the USSSA national slowpitch UIC…here’s an example:

“The ball slips from F1’s hand on his delivery to the plate. The pitched ball bounces once or several times on the way to home plate. B1 swings at the bouncing ball.

Ruling: If the batter swings at the pitch, it is declared a strike if the batter swings and misses or hits the ball for an uncaught foul or foul tip; if the ball is batted fair or caught in flight, it is live and in play.”
 
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