Proper Coed Lineups with the EP

Question
Hello Mark,

ASA coed slow pitch. Local rule is that a team can have any number of women in the lineup, but no more than 6 men if batting 10, and no more than 7 men if batting 12 (with the extra players, though no more than 6 men defensively). A lineup of 9 women and 1 man would be legal. Teams have started with 6 men and 4 women and switched to 5 and 5; teams have started with 5 and 5 and gone to 6 men and 4 women -- as long as 3 men do not bat consecutively.

My understanding is that if a team begins with 10 players it cannot insert extra players after the game has started. (Please confirm or correct.) After the game has started, can a team stop using the extra player(s), that is go from 12 to 10 in coed or or 11 to 10 for a men's or women's league?

Our local rule states that a coed team using the EP must bat 12 players - emphasis on "must." I interpret that as batting 1 male and 1 female EP to be implied (as if it was the traditional 5-5 on defense and 1-1 EP)...but I am not sure. Would your interpretation of our local rule allow for a team to bat 6 men and 6 women with 6 men and 4 women on defense and two women as EPs?

Our opponent tonight did just that: 6 men and 4 women on defense; 6 men and 6 women on offense. (Fine by us.) In the second inning, a man was caught wearing metal spikes. Our rule states that if a player is wearing metal spikes, "the umpire has the authority to ask the player to change footwear or to remove the player from the game."

The umpire ejected the player and ruled the game a forfeit in our favor because the other team did not have a male substitute. The other team protested the game because it had a female substitute it could insert, thus playing with 7 women and 5 men. The umpire rejected this. If you were the director of my league, how would you rule on this protest?

The other team then offered to drop from 12 batters to 10 batters, playing with 5 men and 5 women. The umpire also rejected this, so the other team double protested. If you were director of my league, how would you rule on this protest?

Hope you have some fun with this, but please let me know if you have any questions, and do not hesitate to rant and rave against "local rules." Thanks!

KAB

Answer
Hi ken,

normally I don't do "local" rules, especially long ones  but I thought I'd give you my opinion here and that's all it is, someone might differ.

In ASA coed play you can start with 9 (shorthanded) 10 or 12 but not add or drop 2 after the game has begun.  If you use EPs they must be one of each sex. You can drop to 11, you cannot start w/ 11,  or 9 if no sub is available and play shorthanded with an out taken in the vacant spot.  Any sub you have must be of the same sex.

In regular sex play, 9 (shorthanded) 10 or 11.  Again you can't start w/ 10 and then go to 11.  If you go w/ 1 less(except for 9) during the game you are playing shorthanded and take an out in that BP.

If you were the director of my league, how would you rule on this protest? Our rule states that if a player is wearing metal spikes, "the umpire has the authority to ask the player to change footwear or to remove the player from the game."  "remove" is the key to me, that to me means a disqualification not an ejection.  (In ASA we warn the player and only eject if they continue after the warning.)  You take an out in the BO when they come up if no male sub is available.  I'd probably uphold the protest and resume the game, but spikes in rec-coed, c'mon the guy's an idiot, I'll bet he dresses like he's in the 7th game of the world series  and has to choose for that game based on weather, ball, competition. etc. from his 10 bats in his bag to boot
The other team then offered to drop from 12 batters to 10 batters, playing with 5 men and 5 women.   Can't do that in ASA play once you start with 12.  Your LD can do anything they want.  In coed rec play I'd probably say ok.

It seems to me that your local rules are written to have some fun, I'm not against some reasonable m/f changes to make the game not be a forfeit if females come up short in league play.  The "ejection" bothers me here.  "hey buddy change the shoes, let's go!"  You're there to play coed league softball so you ruin 20 players night by doing that.  I don't get it.

Mark