Softball Overview
1. Men will hit the 12" ball and women will hit 11" ball. Pitching arc must be 6'-12'
2. All batters will start with a one ball, one strike count.
3. All games are seven innings or approx. 50 minutes (warm up time included);
4. Teams may bat more than ten players, but the guy-girl order must follow.
1. Men will hit the 12" ball and women will hit 11" ball. Pitching arc must be 6'-12'
2. All batters will start with a one ball, one strike count.
3. If a male is walked then he will take second base. The following female batter will have the option of hitting or taking first base. If a male is walked with the bases loaded then he will only take first base and the female will have to bat.
4. A batter with two strikes is allowed one foul ball, two fouls with two strikes, the batter is out.
5. All games are seven innings or 50 minutes (warm up time included); NEW RULE: Umpires will only declare last inning if there is less than 5 minutes left in the game entering the top of an inning. Otherwise, there will be no more innings played as soon as the 50 minute mark is reached. At that time the umpire will declare that time has expired and either play out the inning or end the game if the home team is at bat and has a lead.
EXTRA INNINGS - If a game it tied after the last inning is called, then the teams will play one extra inning that will follow a one pitch per batter format if time allows. If the game is still tied after that extra inning then the game will be declared a tie. (Exception: Playoff games will play until a winner is declared)
6. THERE ARE NO POSITION REQUIREMENTS of any players, i.e. there need not be 2 females in outfield and 2 in the infield) DSSC rules will allow a team to play with a minimum of 8 players (at least 4 females). There must be no more than 5 males or 5 females in the field at one time. Teams may play with 9 players, but must have at least 4 females. The maximum number of guys that can play in the field is 5. If a team has less than 4 females or less than 8 total players an official game can still be played as long as the opposing team agrees to make it an official game. Under these circumstance the maximum number of automatic outs would be 2.
7. Teams may bat more than ten players, but the guy-girl order must follow. If a team is playing 9 players then a guy and girl must switch in the order every other at bat to maintain the guy-girl batting order. NEW RULE: For ALL LEAGUES each team will have to submit a lineup in which they have less than 10 players and there will be an automatic out for any holes in the batting order. For example, if there are 5 guys and 4 girls, then there will be an automatic out where girl #5 would hit. As long as a team has at least 10 players, in which 4 are girls, then there will be no automatic outs and the team will not be required to hand the umpire a roster
8. All players in the field must be listed in the batting order. All players may bat if the team desires.
9. There are no designated hitters allowed. Any attempt at doing so must be brought to the attention of the umpire prior to game time and can only be deemed allowable by the opposing captain.
10. Game mercy rule: 10 runs up after five complete innings.
11. NEW RULE ***Inning run limit rule: There will be a 7 run limit per inning through innings 1-3. (Exception: unlimited runs may be scored in one of the innings 1-3 if there is less than 10 minutes entering the top of inning 1-3.) Unlimited runs may be scored in innings 4+
12. No leadoffs or stealing allowed. Runners may leave the base once the ball crosses the plane of the plate or is hit by the batter. If a runner leaves early, the ball is dead and the runner is declared out. If this is the 3rd out of the inning the batter will be first up in the next inning.
13. Games start on time!!! Teams must be prepared to play.
Forfeit rule: 5 minutes after game time. If one team has less than the minimum number of players (8 total-4 females) at ten past the designated start time, the team that is short players will forfeit. If however, the opposing team wishes to allow the team to play with less than the minimum amount of required players, the game may be played as an official game. The umpire must be notified by the opposing team that they would like the game to be played as an official game.
14. Base runner to defensive player contact will be closely watched by the ump. Any excessive contact or collision will result in an “out” and/or ejection. This includes contact with the catcher. Sliding is allowed. Any sliding into a base to break up a double play, or any intentional (in the eyes of the monitor) interference with the defensive player will result in the runner and the batter being called out.
15. NO METAL SPIKES ARE ALLOWED.
16. A foul ball caught by the catcher on a third strike will be called an out unless the ball is fouled directly into the catcher's glove without the catcher moving his/her glove.
17. All thrown balls are deemed out of play when:
· The ball is thrown over the fence
· The ball is thrown beyond the fence
· The ball is thrown beyond the imaginary line extending from the end of the backstop (if there is no fence).
· This imaginary line applies to overthrows and caught fly foul balls.
· If the ball is overthrown and hits the fence behind the 1st or 3rd base lines but does not travel out of play, this is NOT considered out of play and the runner may advance, BUT at his/her own risk.
· On overthrows out of play, the runner is granted the base he/she is going to (at the point of the throw) plus one more base. Note: in cases where a base runner runs past first base, he/she must make a clearly aggressive turn towards second base to be granted 2nd and 3rd in overthrow situations.
18. On an infield fly (any fly ball within the infield with significant arc and deemed an “easy catch”) with less than 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd or 1st, 2nd and 3rd, the batter is automatically out and runners can advance, BUT at their own risk.
19. All outfielders must remain behind the infield dirt . There cannot be more than 6 players on the infield at any one time. Once contact has been made the outfielders may enter the infield. If an outfielder crosses the line before contact has been made the female may be awarded first base.
20. BATS. All determinations of legal bats will be made by DSSC umpires before games or during games. The determination may be made solely by the DSSC umpire or if an opposing team questions the legality of a bat. All bats must be ASA certified and follow the guidelines set by ASA. A list of approved and non-approved bats can be found at www.softball.org. Click the certified equpment list to see the list of illegal bats. If a bat is determined to be illegal, the bat will not be allowed for use during any DSSC game. If a player uses an illegal bat and the bat is determined to be illegal before the next at-bat, the player will be ruled out. If the bat is used after it has been determined to be illegal the player using the bat is subject to ejection from the game. No protests regarding bats will be considered after a game is completed. These bat rules are in place in order to increase the safety and fairness of DSSC softball leagues.
21. In certain facilities a home run rule may apply. (consult with your ump and/or DSSC
staff person to determine if a rule is in effect at your particular league.)
LEAGUE POLICIES