umpire decision

Question
QUESTION: Recently my 14U team entered a softball tournament, played their first game against a tough team score 1-0 us in the final inning, we needed three outs.  We had one out, runner on 2nd the ball was line shot to third inches off the ground.  Third lunges to make the (in the air catch...spectacular)she layed her glove on the ground and the ball entered the glove never touching the ground.  The home plate umpire steps on to the field and shows the out sign and calls caught ball.  The third baseman quickly releases to second because the runner had left thinking the ball wouldn't be caught...double play game over.  Nope...the plate umpire reverses his call on the caught ball...said after he thought about it, it hit the ground.  The runners are now on third and first and he makes no changes in the runners advance to third.  They get new life...go on to score 5 runs game over.  I guess my question is what would have been expected of the umpire in this situation with the runner on third? Should she have been able to advance while he interfered with the play? I already know the answer to the out call reversed...he should be removed from umpiring.

ANSWER: Hi Stephanie,

This is what umpires call a mess....after he changed his mind.

1) an umpire can "rectify" some situations (we call it chapter 10)we want to get the call right.

2)this is IMO the toughest call an umpire has to make, catch or trap on a sharp bb in the infield w/ runners on and less than 2 outs.  It must be made immediately and with enough "voice" that everyone on the IF knows the call.  This play and call IMO can easily separate umpires from those that advance and those that don't both in a tournie and in their career.

I can only tell you how I would handle it, I trust my judgment on the initial call, I'm going to live with it and the teams are going to live with it.

I would not be happy as a tournie UIC to see one of my PUs reverse his call after having "thought about it"  Again we want to get the call correct but why is (s)he not trusting their initial judgment?  this umpire would loose all credibility in the player's eyes (even the team that benefits)and this would haunt him/her in umpiring for quite a while, every close play would bring some "comments".

After the game we would have a "little discussion"....IF, IF, IF you are not trusting your initial judgment and you do this, why place R1 on 3rd???? if we had a "trap" immediately would R1 advanced to 3rd is that the reasoning?  I don't really care about the answer to that question, this reversal and placing really hurts the defense through no fault of their own.....I've always been an umpire's UIC but as you can see I would not be happy.

Mark

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you mark for that thorough explanation and reasoning.  
Just to clarify...and then I'll let it go...if the ball had indeed been trapped, the third baseman was ready to fire to first for the out.  She looked to the ump...he made the out call so instinctively she threw to second for the dp. At the very least we would have still had a runner on second, and two outs.  Now we have a runner on third and a runner on first, still one out.  How can he try to rectify a judgment call because he thinks he made a mistake...interfere with the continuance of the play, and not rectify for the defensive team that he just boned, the base runner situation?  Three coaches asked him very politely to at the very least make the runner on third go back to second, or call a dead ball and start over.  He would not listen to anyone.  Needless to say if we come across him again we will walk off the field, which if we had thought soon enough was what we should have done after we made the dp and won the game.   
Our girls are headed to the State tournament this weekend in Maine...thanks again.  Your insite has been very helpful.

Answer
Hi Stephanie,

Good luck at state this weekend, I hope you're playing ASA.

I agree this is a very bad situation.   He needs to learn this....I trust my judgment on the initial call, I'm going to live with it and the teams are going to live with it.

mark