Ruling Request

Question
Slow pitch men's league.

Bottom of 6th Team B at bat. One out; Runners (Team B's 4th and 6th batters, respectively) on 1st and 2nd Base with #7 batter at bat. #7 Batter hits a pop fly to Team A's Short-Stop (infield). During the pop fly, neither umpire invoked  ("called out") the Infield Fly Rule.


The Team A SS allows the pop fly to hit the back of his closed glove and let's the ball fall to the ground. Team A SS picks up the ball and runs to Second Base and tags the Team B Runner who is standing on 2B. When the #7 Batter notices that the Team A SS has dropped the ball the #7 Batter runs out the play to First Base. After tagging the Team B Runner on Second Base while said Runner was standing on Second Base, the Team A SS throws the ball towards First Base but the Team A First Baseman misses the ball while #7 Batter crosses 1st Base. When the Team A SS throws  to 1st Base, both of the MBAF Runners that had originally been on 1st and 2nd Base ran to 2nd and 3rd Base, respectively. After the Team A's  misfire to 1st Base, the Team B runner who had originally been on 1st (Team B's #6 Batter) was tagged out on his way to 2nd Base.

A protest was timely made.

In addition are you aware of any rules which state how a "replayed game" must be handled?  The issue is as follows: Two of the players from Team B will be travelling during the time of the replay (if any) and one of which was the #8 batter (next to bat).  

Thank you for any guidance you can provide and any references to the 2010 ASA participant's manual.

Regards  

Answer
Hi Erick,

Ok had to read this a # of times to try to figure out.

If F6 could have caught the ball w/ ordinary effort it should have been an IF.  Even though it was not called during the play when the dust was settled the umpires could have got together and called the IF after the fact.  Yes that's allowed, and then we just add an out and put the runners back.

Ok, no IF, In ASA if F6 did not actually catch the ball and then drop it it is not an IDB. In some other orgs it could be. F6 picks the ball up and tags R1 on 2nd base, called out. F6 now throws to 1st, ball is loose and the b-r touches 1st.  F3 picks up the ball and R2 is tagged between 2nd and 1st, called out.  I don't understand why F6 didn't simply step on 2nd after tagging R1 for the force on R2 and why they instead threw to 1st.

If in the umpire's judgment the ball was not an IF, you cannot protest that.  I'm not sure what your protest is, you don't say.  It must be a mis-interp of a playing rule such as the umpire saying an IF is not in effect with runners on 1st and 2nd and 0 outs or even though F6 could easily catch the ball it was on the grass so no IF, etc.

Just to answer your next q, if your protest whatever it is is upheld and team B lost the game the decision will be corrected and you restart at the point of the incorrect decision.  See ASA rule 9 protests.

Any player on the roster can be legally subbed in for an absent player they need not have been at the "1st" game.

Mark