hands in fastpitch pitching motion

Question
I grew up playing ASA and heard many times over those years (as I was a catcher) about the pitchers not presenting the ball more than once to the batter. Was that ever a rule and what did it involve if it did? My next question is asked with the thinking that presenting the ball more than once is illegal.

Is it an illegal pitch for the pitcher to start on the rubber with the hands separated and ball is in non-glove hand, do a backward swing, then hands come back together on forward swing, then hands separate on backward swing then forward continuing with the pitching motion?  I thought once the forward motion started it had to continue and end in a pitch.

And one last question- at my daughter's game today the umpire told the pitcher she can't step on the rubber with two hands on the ball-which rule is that?

Please attach what the rules are if they apply so I can have them for future reference. Thank you.

Answer
Hi TJ,

There never has been a rule about presenting the ball

Perfectly legal pitch, the pitch doesn't start until separating the hands THEN they may not have a stop or reversal but may drop their arm to the side and the rear before starting the windmill motion

ASA 6-1-d while on the pitcher's plate the pitcher shall take the signal...with the hands separated. The ball must remain in either the glove or pitching hand.  ALSO RS40 states they must contact the pp w/ the hands separated and the ball in either the glove or hand.  If they step on the PP with hands together and deliver a pitch, it is an IP.

Mark

ps I meant to but somehow in my answer I forgot to put the 1st rule in ASA 6-1-a the pitcher must take the pitching position on the pp with the hands separated and the ball in the glove or the pitcher's hand. That's the key rule to your question and is repeated by RS 40 which I typed.