ST GEORGE SENIOR SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION OVER SIXTY LEAGUE RULES AND REGULATIONS 4 JUN14

1. THE SPIRIT AND INTENT OF THESE RULES IS TO FOSTER CLOSE, COMPETITIVE GAMES AMONG FRIENDS, AND TO CUT DOWN/OUT BICKERING/GROUSING CAUSED BY A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE RULES. TO THIS END, THERE IS NO SLIDING ALLOWED. WE WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO BE ABLE TO WALK THE NEXT DAY AND TO BE ABLE TO PLAY THE NEXT WEEK WITH US. MANAGERS ARE RESPONSIBLE TO ENSURE THEIR PLAYERS KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THESE RULES AND SHOULD HAVE A CURRENT COPY OF THE RULES WITH THEM AT EACH GAME .

2. ALL PLAYERS WILL PARTICIPATE IN THEIR GAME. THIS MEANS HITTING AND AT LEAST EVERY OTHER INNING ON DEFENSE

3. THERE IS A SECOND HOME PLATE OR LINE PERPENDICULAR TO THE REGULAR HOME PLATE. A BASE RUNNER MUST TOUCH THIS PLATE OR PASS THE HOME PLATE “LINE” BEFORE THE BALL REACHES HOME PLATE. ANY PLAYER TOUCHING THE REGULAR HOME PLATE OR THE STRIKE MAT WILL BE CALLED OUT.

4. BASERUNNERS TOUCHING OR PASSING A SPECIAL COMMIT LINE, TWENTY (20) FEET FROM HOME PLATE MUST ADVANCE TO HOME BEFORE THE BALL GETS THERE AND CANNOT RETREAT BACK TO THIRD BASE. ONCE THE RUNNER PASSES THE COMMIT LINE ALL PLAYS AT HOME ARE FORCE PLAYS, EVEN IN NON-FORCING SITUATIONS.

5. A RUNNER GOING TO SECOND OR THIRD, WHEN THERE IS A PLAY ON THEM MUST RUN BY THE BASE TO THE OUTSIDE TO AVOID A COLLISION OR THEY WILL BE CALLED OUT FOR INTERFERENCE. HE DOES NOT NEED TO TOUCH THE BASE. ONCE A RUNNER PASSES THE EXTENDED LINE, HE MUST TURN AWAY FROM THE NEXT BASE. HE CANNOT BE TAGGED OUT AS LONG AS HE DOESN’T MAKE A MOVE TO THE NEXT BASE. IF HE DOES MAKE A MOVE THEN HE MUST STILL GO BACK TO THE BASE HE JUST RAN BY BEFORE ADVANCING AND HE IS SUBJECT TO BEING TAGGED OUT.

6. WHEN AVAILABLE, A DOUBLE BAG WILL BE USED AT FIRST BASE. A RUNNER MUST USE THE FOUL TERRITORY ORANGE BAG IF THERE IS A PLAY AT FIRST BASE OR THE BATTER-RUNNER MAY BE CALLED OUT. THE DEFENSIVE PLAYER MUST USE THE FAIR TERRITORY WHITE BAG OR THE RUNNER WILL BE CALLED SAFE.

7. COURTESY RUNNERS WILL BE PERMITTED. ANYBODY ON THE TEAM MAY RUN, BUT ONLY ONCE AN INNING UNTIL ALL AVAILABLE RUNNERS HAVE RUN. THEN YOU MAY START OVER AGAIN. COURTESY RUNNERS ARE PERMITTED FROM ANY BASE AS THIS IS A RECREATIONAL LEAGUE. RUNNERS WHO RUN FOR A BATTER MUST START FROM THE SCREEN POLE DIRECTLY BEHIND A LINE FROM PITCHER’S MOUND THRU HOME PLATE TO THE POLE. THEY CANNOT GET A RUNNING START OR LET GO OF THE FENCE POLE UNTIL THE BALL HAS BEEN HIT. EARLY STARTS ON A BATTED FAIR BALL WILL RESULT IN THE BATTER BEING CALLED OUT. THE INTENT OF THIS RULE IS TO NOT FORCE AN INJURED PLAYER TO HAVE TO RUN HARD AND PROBABLY INCREASE HIS INJURY OR CAUSE EXTRA OR GREAT PAIN. THE INTENT OF THIS RULE IS NOT TO ROUTINELY SUBSTITUE A FASTER PLAYER FOR A SLOWER PLAYER FROM HOME PLATE.

8. DESIGNATED HITTER RULE. TWO HITTERS ARE DESIGNATED AS UNWALKABLE AND IF FOUR BALLS ARE THROWN TO THEM, ANOTHER PLAYER GOES TO FIRST AND THEY REMAIN AS THE BATTER. THIS RULE IS INTENDED TO ENSURE THAT EVERYONE GETS PITCHED TO. PICKUP PLAYERS CAN’T BE DESIGNATED HITTERS.

9. . TEAMS WITH LESS THAN ELEVEN (11) PLAYERS AND NO SUITABLE SUBS AVAILABLE ARE NOW ALLOWED TO PICK UP PLAYERS FROM OTHER LEAGUE TEAMS. NEW PLAYERS TO THE LEAGUE WILL BE PLACED ON A SUITABLE SUB LIST AND WILL BE USED TO EVEN UP THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS PLAYING IN THE GAME. WHEN SUITABLE SUBS ARE AVAILABLE, THE TWO MANAGERS MUST AGREE ON SUBS TO BE USED PRIOR TO ASKING A SUB TO PLAY. SUITABLE SUBS HAVE THE SAME RULES AS THE ROSTER PLAYERS. AFTER ALL OF THE SUITABLE SUBS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN, TEAMS MAY PICK UP PLAYERS FROM OTHER TEAMS WITH BOTH MANAGERS AGREEMENT TO EVEN OUT THE GAME. PICKUP PLAYERS WILL BAT AT THE END OF THE LINEUP, CAN ONLY GET A SINGLE WHEN BATTING, AND MAY PLAY WHERE NECESSARY TO EVEN OUT THE GAME. IN THE EVENT THE GAME STARTS WITH LESS THAN A FULL TEAM, PICKUP PLAYERS CAN BE SWITCHED DURING THE GAME AS NEW ROSTER, SUITABLE SUBS, OR PICKUP PLAYERS ARRIVE. THE KEY IS FOR THE MANAGERS TO KEEP THE GAME SOMEWHAT BALANCED. 10. ARCH OF THE PITCH MUST BE SIX (6) TO TWELVE (12) FEET. A BALL THAT DROPS ON THE PLATE OR THE MAT IS A STRIKE. THE REARMOST PITCHERS RUBBER WILL BE LENGTHENED BY SIX (6) FEET. IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY, THERE IS A MANDATORY PITCHER’S SCREEN WHICH IS PLACED TWELVE (12) STEPS IN FRONT OF HOMEPLATE AND COVERING ALL OF THE RUBBER. PITCHERS MUST PITCH OVER THE SCREEN AND THEN CAN STEP OUT FROM BEHIND THE SCREEN IN ANTICIPATION OF WHERE THE BALL WILL BE HIT – IF THEY WISH. IF THE PITCHER DOESN’T WANT TO LEAVE THE SCREEN TWELVE STEPS IN FRONT OF THE PLATE, HE IS REQUIRED TO WEAR FULL GEAR (I.E. SHIN GUARDS, CHEST PROTECTOR AND FACE MASK) WHICH THE LEAGUE WILL PROVIDE. THE BATTER STEPS INTO THE BATTER’S BOX WITH NO BALLS OR STRIKES ON HIM. THERE IS NO COURTESY FOUL ON THE THIRD STRIKE EXCEPT ON A BALL WHICH HITS THE SCREEN. HOWEVER, IF A BATTER HITS THE SCREEN TWICE ON THE THIRD STRIKE, HE IS OUT. A BATTED BALL THAT HITS THE SCREEN IS COUNTED AS A DEAD BALL TO THE FIELDERS AND AS A FOUL BALL TO THE BATTER WITH THE ONE EXCEPTION NOTED. A THROWN BALL THAT HITS THE SCREEN IS LIVE.

11. THE FIVE RUN RULE WILL BE IN EFFECT, EXCEPT IF A TEAM IS TRAILING BY MORE THAN FIVE RUNS LATE IN THE GAME. THEY MAY CONTINUE BATTING IN THE TWO INNINGS PRIOR TO THE OPEN INNING (5TH AND 6TH INNINGS IN A SEVEN INNING OR 7TH AND 8TH INNINGS IN A NINE INNING GAME) UNTIL THEY TIE THE GAME OR THREE OUTS ARE MADE. THIS IS ALSO CALLED THE “CATCHUP” RULE. THE LAST INNING WILL BE AN OPEN INNING. THE TEAM THAT IS BEHIND IN THE LAST INNING ALWAYS BECOMES THE VISITOR. THIS IS KNOWN AS THE “FLIP-FLOP” RULE

12. THE FIRST GAMES START AS CLOSE TO 6:00 PM AS POSSIBLE AND END AFTER SEVEN INNINGS OR 7:15, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST, UNLESS THERE IS NO SECOND GAME TO BE PLAYED ON THAT FIELD. IF THE GAME IS STOPPED AT 7:15, THE SCORE REVERTS BACK TO THE PREVIOUS COMPLETED INNING JUST AS IF IT RAINED OR THE GAME CAN BE MOVED TO THE OTHER, EMPTY FIELD AFTER THAT GAME IS COMPLETED. THIS OPTION IS FOR THE MANAGERS TO AGREE ON. THE SECOND GAME BEGINS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FIRST ENDS AND GOES FOR SEVEN INNINGS. TIME PERMITTING, EXTRA INNINGS MAY BE USED TO BREAK A TIE AND THE INTERNATIONAL RULE IS USED WHERE A RUNNER STARTS AT SECOND BASE WITH NO OUTS. .

13. THERE ARE UNLIMITED HOMERUNS IN THIS LEAGUE. NO OUTFIELDER MAY PLAY INSIDE THE COED LINE UNTIL THE BALL IS HIT (NO SQUEEZING THE HITTER OR RUNNING STARTS AFTER THE PITCH IS MADE) AND THE BATTER RUNNER CANNOT BE THROWN OUT GOING TO FIRST FROM THE OUTFIELD. INFIELDERS MUST START WITH THEIR FEET ON THE DIRT UNTIL THE BALL IS HIT.

14. IN THE INTEREST OF SPEEDING UP PLAY, THE PITCHER MAY HAVE THREE WARMUP PITCHES TO START THE GAME AND ONLY ONE AFTER THE FIRST INNING. WHEN THE OFFENSIVE TEAM IS READY TO HIT -- PLAY SHOULD BEGIN. NO MORE PRACTICE PITCHES OR INFIELD THROWS.

15. GAMES SHOULD BEGIN ON TIME, OR AS SOON AS ONE TEAM HAS ENOUGH PLAYERS TO START. THAT TEAM BECOMES THE HOME TEAM, THUS GIVING THE VISITING TEAM MORE TIME WHILE THEY ARE HITTING FOR THEIR PLAYERS TO ARRIVE. AGAIN, ATTEMPTING TO SPEED UP PLAY, WE INCORPORATE THE DOUBLE INNING, RESET PLAN OF PLAY WHERE THE VISITORS HIT FOR TWO INNINGS AND THEN THE TEAMS HIT FOR DOUBLE INNINGS AFTER THAT UNTIL THE LAST, OR OPEN, INNING. THE UMPIRES SHOULD CHANGE THE INNING WITH THE “VISITOR’S” AT BAT ON THE “FLIPPER” SCORING SYSTEM BEHIND THE PLATE. THE ELECTRONIC SCOREBOARD IS ALSO USED FOR ALL TO SEE AND THE FLIPPER BACKS IT UP. USUALLY ONE OF THE WIVES WHO ARE SPECTATORS WORK THE ELECTRONIC SCOREBOARD. USUALLY THEY ARE NEW TO THIS AND CAN GET BEHIND WHEN BATTERIES RUN LOW OR OTHER ELECTRONIC PROBLEMS OCCUR. PLEASE DON’T YELL AT THE WIVES –IT WILL GET STRAIGHTENED OUT IN A WHILE

16. ALL OTHER RULES ARE IN ACCORDANCE WITH STANDARD SENIOR SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION RULES.

17. WINNING TEAM SHUTS DOWN THE FIELD AT THE END OF PLAY ON THE FIELD. TEAM MEMBERS NEED TO HELP THEIR MANAGERS SHUT DOWN THE FIELD, PUT AWAY THE SCREENS, COLLECT/RETURN THE SOFTBALLS, AND POLICE UP THE DUGOUTS “INCLUDING THE WATER CUPS” AFTER THE LAST GAME IS COMPLETED. IN THE CASE OF LOST AND FOUND, GIVE THE RECOVERED ITEM TO A LEAGUE OFFICIAL FOR STORING IN THE GEAR LOCKER. LEAGUE OFFICIALS WILL THEN MAKE SURE THE WEB-MASTER HAS THE RESULTS.

REVISED 4 JUN14 BY LEAGUE MANAGERS AND OFFICIALS