RH Women's Baseball Rules

Roy Hobbs Note: Adopted by consensus of women’s teams participating in Roy Hobbs events. Event rules may be adjusted with a two-thirds majority vote at the pre-tournament managers’ meeting.

Events will be played according to the Official Rules of Baseball with the following amplifications and/or modifications and guidelines:

Pre-game warm-up: Each team is allowed a 10-minute pre-game infield workout prior to their first game of the day. Home team will go first at 20 minutes until game time.

Length of game

Time limit: Games will be 7 innings in length. With the exception of the semifinal and championship games, no new inning in a game will start after the time limit of 2½ hours of playing time. There will be no time limits on semifinal or championship games.

Mercy rule: The game will be over if the lead is 10 runs or more after the 5^th inning is completed (or after 4½ innings if the home team is ahead).

Warm-up pitches: Pitchers will receive seven (7) warm-up pitches at the beginning of the game and five (5) between innings. Up to seven (7) warm-up pitches may be allowed after a long offensive inning or with the entry of a new pitcher at the discretion of the umpire.

Batting lineup

w Batting lineup is separate from defensive lineup.

w Each team will bat nine (9) players in their lineup.

w 10-hitter batting orders are acceptable as long as all managers in attendance at the pre-event meeting where rule is discussed concur with the event decision (a majority must attend).

Substitutions

Batting lineup: Players in the starting offensive lineup may be removed from the offensive lineup and re-enter the game once in the exact same spot in the batting lineup that they left. (Taken from National high School Federation re-entry rules.)

Defensive substitutions: Defensive substitution of position players is unrestricted. With the exception of the pitcher, defensive changes need not be reported to the umpire.

Pitchers: Pitchers will follow the official rules of baseball (a pitcher who is removed from the mound and the batting lineup may not reenter the game as a pitcher. A pitcher may be removed from the mound and remain in the game as a position player, from which position she may retake the mound as a pitcher. The replacement pitcher must pitch at least one complete at-bat before the original pitcher may be returned to the mound).

Injured base runner: An injured player who cannot fulfill her base running duties will be replaced by a courtesy runner (last recorded out). The injured player must then be removed from the game and a permanent replacement selected.

Rules of play

No Collision Rule: A runner attempting to acquire a base/home plate must avoid any deliberate stand-up collisions with a defensive player for the purpose of jarring the ball loose or moving the defensive player from the runner's path as the player is about to receive the ball (based on umpire judgment).

Ruling: 1) the ball will be dead; 2) no runners will advance; and 3) the violating runner will be called out.

Defensive player: Defensive play may not block a base/plate without the baseball or a reasonable expectation of being able to make a play on the runner. Reasonable expectation will be in the umpire’s judgment on whether to award the base to the runner

Ejection: If umpire deems contact was malicious and intentional, offending player (offense or defense) can be ejected.

Decoy Tags: Inducing a player to slide unnecessarily by faking a tag at the base is prohibited. An offending player will be ejected and the runner will be awarded at least one and as many bases as she would have made without the obstruction.

Scorebook: The home team scorebook is the official scorebook unless the home team cedes the responsibility to the visiting team and informs the umpire thereof.

Bats allowed: Maximum weight differential on a bat is –8.5.

Hit Batters: Pitchers who hit 3 batters in one game must be removed from the pitcher position in that game (player may move to another defensive position). Pitchers allowed 4 hit batters in one day (i.e., 2 in one game and 2 in the next).

Protests: Protests are allowed only on rules interpretations or violations. Protests on judgment calls will be disallowed. To protest a game, a manager should follow the rules of the baseball.

Ejections: Ejected players/coaches must leave the field of play immediately and must leave the playing site upon gathering their belongings. Any further contact with the umpires, even after the game finishes, could bring possible disqualification from the remainder of the event. All ejections carry automatic suspension for the player and require a written report from the umpire to be submitted to the Chief of Umpires and Tournament Director immediately upon completion of the game.

Ejection reinstatement: Follow Roy Hobbs rules.

Tie-breakers

Individual game: If a game remains tied at the end of 7 innings, but before the time limit has been reached, the game will proceed into normal extra inning play. If a game remains tied at the time limit, teams will finish the inning they are in. If the game still remains tied, Roy Hobbs shootout rules will be used to break the tie.

Exception to individual game tie-breaker rules: Championship game will not be subject to shootout rules and will be played according to the Official Rules of Baseball and the above-stated modifications until one team leads after a completed extra inning.

Playoffs: Teams will be seeded for playoffs based on record, with ties broken with the following criteria:

w Head-to-head (all tied teams must have played each other for head-to-head to work)

w Fewest number of runs by opponents allowed in pool play

w Fewest number of runs by opponents in best 3 pool play games

w Fewest number of runs by opponents in best 2 pool play games

w 3-inning Shootout game between tied teams.

w In the case of more than 2 teams tied, as soon as one tiebreaker separates a team, return to the first tiebreaker and start process again.