18u girls fast pitch in a ky city league

Question
base runner in a pickle, hit by thrown ball. dead ball and awarded
home or a live ball still?  secondly, dropped 3rd strike, runner takes 2 or 3 steps back towards dugout, but ten turns and is safe at 1st.  Is she out ?

Answer
Hi Rick,

Thank you for your two questions.  

It's not unusual for a base runner in a pickle to get hit, often in the back, by a throw.  The ball remains live.

After striking out on a dropped third strike, many batter-runners absentmindedly head for their dugout instead of 1B.  As you described, they do often only get two or three steps away from the plate area before their teammates, coaches, and/or spectators boisterously remind them to head to 1B.  If they touch 1B before being put out, then, yes, they are safe.  If the batter-runner enters the dugout, team area, dead ball area, etc., then they are immediately out (live ball out!) and would no longer be entitled to run to 1B.

Scott Kelly



Followup to Rick, 6-22-11, from Scott Kelly

An alert reader named BRETMAN caught an error in my above, unedited, original answer to you.  Please do read his followup answer.  Just as he said, in both ASA and NFHS, it is in fact a dead ball out, not a live ball out as I stated, (what was I thinking?) when the batter-runner enters the dugout, team area, dead ball area, etc.  He also added some good stuff about the pickle question.  

Rick, I regret the error and apologize for any confusion I caused you.  Thank you, BRETMAN, for the followup.

Sincerely, Scott Kelly