Running outside the baseline.

Question
My daughter plays on our jr. high team. We play by Ohio High School Rules. At one game the umpire told us that a runner can go three feet outside the baseline to avoid a tag. Last night a different umpire said that a runner going home makes her own baseline unless there is a defensive play being made. In other words she can run as far as she wants outside the baseline as she wants unless we are trying to tag her out, then the 3 foot rule applies. Is this correct?

Answer
Hi Tonya,

A "baseline" is an imaginary line directly between the bases.

A "basepath" is a line directly between a base and the runner's position  at the time a defensive player is attempting to tag a runner.

Both umpires are correct.
A player can use 3' on either side of the basepath to avoid a tag.  If a tag is being attempted a runner can be called out for being out of the "basepath"

There is no basepath if there in no play and a runner can run anywhere they want in live ball territory without any infraction, providing they are touching the bases in legal order.  Saying someone is out simply because they ran out of the baseline is a very common error an umpire hears fairly frequently.

Mark