When can a player return to play when taken out of bat order?

Question
I'm going to try this again.  Sorry for the confusion.

Team A (home team)was up to bat first.

Team B (visitor)changes catchers. First catcher we will call C1 is now on the bench.  

Team B is now up to bat. During the batting line-up player C1 is now skipped in the batting order.  

Team A's coach and score keeper was not advised of the batting order change.    

When Team A questioned the Coach of Team B, why this player was skipped she said that player C1 was sick.

Is this an automatic out, since the coach of Team B changed the batting order without advising Team A?  (First Question)

Now, Team B completed the batting line-up in first inning same game as above.

Top of Second Inning.  Team A is now up to bat.

I then notice that player C1 from Team B, who was pulled from catching in the top of the first inning and was skipped in the batting order due to illness is now pitching.  Is that legal?  (Second Question)

This is my thoughts:

Because the coach of Team B did not notify Team A of batting order change that should have been an automatic out.

Because the coach of Team B skips player C1 from Batting order.  Player C1 can not Pitch at the top of the second Inning and another pitcher should have replaced C1 who happens to be the sick catcher in the first inning.

What are your thoughts?  





-------------------------

Followup To

Question -
I recently had a situation that did not make sense to me, can you confirm if this was okay per ASA rule:

First team up to bat is in the process of going through batting order when coach takes out catcher and replaces with another.  First team completes batting order.
When the Second team goes through the batting order they skip the catcher because she is not feeling well and she does not bat.

First team is now up again for the second ining and is ready to run through batting order again.  The catcher who was previously pulled and didn't batch is now pitching.  Can the coach put her in at this point?

We are getting ready to go through mini softball playoffs and would like to know if this is legal to do.  

Please advise as soon as possible, thank you.

Answer -
Hi Tammy,

If I understand your question correctly (and I am confused)

1) Team B's starting catcher (C1) was subbed for (C2)
2) When team B came to bat C2 who subbed for C1 and is the legal batter, did not bat, you say they "skip" the catcher, What happened to C2?(why wasn't a legal sub inserted?)It seems that C1 (is she the sick one?) would be available. C1 is not the legal batter because she is at present out of the game.  

Somebody has to bat or we go to the shorthanded rule. You just can't skip a batting position.

In the shorthanded rule If a legal sub (C1) is available they must play or are ineligible for the rest of the game.

2A) By rule an out is taken and team B is now playing shorthanded and all elgible subs (C1 and any others) are now ineligble. But it doesn't seem like that happened.

If this is the case when a team plays shorthanded because a player leaves the game (and C2 left the game because she did not bat)(exc for the blood rule) the player cannot return to the line-up.  All other legal subs are now ineligible.  They would have to play with 8 starters left

Tammy, I have read and re-reread (not a spelling error) your question.  Maybe I'm missing something here.  Please write me back though this forum and explain this one a little better to me.

I don't understand why c2 didn't bat
I don't understand  why a legal sub didn't bat
I don't understand what happened (out and player wise) when they "skipped" that batting position

Mark


Answer
Hi Tammy,

ok I understand a little better, but C1 was not the batter up, C2 her substitute was.  The batting player changed when C2 was subbed for C1.

I thought you said they were just going to skip that batting position (they can't do that w/out problems as I outlined earlier) but now I see it's not the case.

Let's say C2 (subbed for C1 in the top of the inning) was batting in the 5th position and they bat 4 and then 6 "skipping" 5 as you say.  After 6 bats and it is appealed to the plate umpire before a pitch to 7 we have a batting out of order violation.  C2 in the 5th pos would be declared out, any advance or runs scored would be nullified, all outs would stand.  If 6 made an out 7 would bat.  If not 6 would bat again.

If 1  pitch is thrown to 7 after 6 bats with no appeal all play stands and 7 continues to bat.

C1 who was legally subbed for in the top of 1 can re-enter the game at any defensive position but must bat at pos 5.  C2 is at present out of the game.

Are we close to what happened?

Mark