Batter-Runner

Question
QUESTION: Slow pitch softball , co-ed league female batter hits a ball (diving in at it) ball hits in front of home plate she is leaning into fair territory with one foot out of the batters box heading towards first ... the ball hits and spins back into the batter ... I ruled the batter out because in my judgement she was in fair territory but playing the play back in my head... her back foot was probably still in the box... reading my umpire book I see a couple of rules pertaining to this but they seem to contradict each other ...I see one rule that I probably should have ruled a dead ball and called it foul ball I guess that is the one that I should have followed , the catcher never moved to get the ball so there was no interference at all and nor did it hit the bat again it hit the batter on the upper shoulder ... I could not see for sure if her back foot was out of the box or not i was watching the ball in front so I could see the front portion of her body and it was in fair territory sorry for the long explanation

ANSWER: Hi Kurt,

If a b-r makes contact with a fair batted ball before reaching 1st base, they are out.
8-2-f-4 applies here
Mark

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

QUESTION: so even if they still have a portion of their body in the batters box it is still out? I thought reading the book it said both feet had to be out of the box ? thanks in advance

Answer
Hi Kurt,

We would have a foul ball if any part of the batter's person or clothing is hit with a batter ball while the batter is in the batter's box.  In order to be legally in the box both feet need to be in the box per the box rule.

But in this case they are not in the box (just as if she made bat contact with the ball with 1 foot on the ground completely outside the box), the question stated she had 1 foot out of the batter's box, she is now a b-r. If a b-r is struck with a fair batted ball, we have an out.

Mark