Full Text
CO-ED HARDBALL SOFTBALL RULES 1. S.C.M.A.F. rules will govern play with the following City league exceptions. The decision of the Recreation and Culture staff is final. Rules may be changed or amended at any time without prior notification. The Recreation and Culture Department will provide each team with a game ball for each game. 2. All players and managers must personally sign the official line-up sheet each night they play. Players or managers arriving after the start of the game must sign the line-up sheet before entering the field of play. 3. A defensive team shall consist of ten (10) players. However, a game may be played without forfeit with eight rostered players. An equal number of men and women must be in the game at all times if they are available. If you are playing with an uneven number of men and women there must be more women than men. Substitutions or courtesy runners must be of the same sex as the individual being replaced. The minimum number of males that must play is three. Player Leaving: If a player leaves during the game, is injured or ejected and no substitute is available to take their place, an out will be recorded for the next time they are up to bat. After that there will be no penalty. If a female player leaves the game and there is no available female substitute to take her place, a male player must be removed from the game incurring no penalty. If a male player leaves the game and there is no available male substitute to take his place, no female player must come out. 4. Batting Order: Players must bat in alternating order by sex. The batting order may not exceed sixteen (16) players. Female players are allowed to bat consecutively in the batting order, but at no time can two males bat back-to-back. Teams are not allowed to have more males than females in the batting order at any time. 5. Time of Game and Innings: All games will be seven innings or no new inning after 1 hour and 10 minutes of play, or whichever occurs first. 6. Forfeit Time: Forfeit time will be ten (10) minutes from scheduled game time. Failure of a team to appear with eight rostered players or if a team fails to pay the official’s fee will constitute forfeiture of the game. If the grace period is used, the time will come off your game time. Games must start if eight players are present. Any team that forfeits a game during the course of the season will be required to pay a $22 forfeiture fee ($11 each for forfeiting team and opposing team). Payment must be in cash and paid within three business days at the Recreation and Culture office. Failure to do so will result in removal of team from the league with no refund of team fees. Double forfeits: each team will be required to pay $11 cash within three business days at the Recreation and Culture office. Failure to do so will result in removal of team from the league with no refund of team fees. Possible Exemption: Managers that notify the Sports Division office staff of their team forfeiting within a reasonable amount of time for the Sports Division to notify staff, opposing team and the officials could be exempt from paying the forfeiture fee. Text ---PAGE BREAK--- and/or voicemail messages are not a valid form of communication for notifying the Sports Division office staff. Other reasons where games may be forfeited: A . Failure on the part of any player to abide by the umpire’s decisions. B. Team playing an ineligible player. C. Umpire feels that the game is not controllable due to both teams or individual players fighting. Game will be declared a double forfeit. 7. A minimum of three outfielders must remain behind an outfield restriction line (180- foot arc from home plate) until the batter hits the pitch. While a female is batting, the rover must be a female. There will be no other restrictions on a player (male or female) as to which defensive position he or she may play. When playing with eight defensive players you must have three players behind the coed arc at all times. 8. A male batter who is walked on four consecutive balls with no strikes thrown during his time at bat shall be awarded second base. Base runners advance only if forced to vacate their bases. 9. Free substituting will be allowed among players listed in the batting order. 10. The 2 + 2 rule will be in effect. This rule states that after having two strikes, the batter hits a second foul ball, the batter will be declared out by the umpire (Rule 6, Sec. 9, Paragraph 11. The pitcher must arc the ball higher than the batter's head. The maximum arc is 16'. A. Pitcher’s Box: A box is drawn extending back from the pitching rubber for six feet. The dimensions of the Pitcher’s Box are 24″ wide x 6′ long. The pitcher may deliver the pitch from any point inside the Pitcher’s Box, and for the purpose of rule- enforcement the Pitcher’s box is treated the same as the pitching rubber (Rule 1, Sec. 22). 12. Scoring a run: You must touch the anchored part of home plate, not the extension, to score a run. 13. No metal cleats are allowed. 14. Adding/Dropping: Player's may be added to the original roster until the start of the classification game. After the classification game, teams will have until mid season to make roster changes (5th game) only with authorization from the League Director. If a team reaches a critical point where they are down to ten (10) or less rostered players after the mid season, players may be added with permission from the League Director. Manager’s have until 5:00 p.m. on their scheduled game day to call in with their request. 15. Any player who has been suspended from a ball game shall not be permitted in the dugout or on the field. Any player ejected from a game, for ANY reason will not be permitted to play in his team's next game. If the player is a "player/manager," he will not be permitted to play or manage the remainder of the game. He will also not be allowed to play or manage ---PAGE BREAK--- in his team's next game. Managers/Players can be asked to leave the park premises by the game official or park personnel if deemed necessary. Players are allowed to play on different nights of the week within the City of Palmdale Recreation and Culture department adult softball league. Players are not allowed to play on two teams during the same night. If a team is found to be playing with an illegal player, that team will automatically forfeit their game. Managers/Assistant Managers found to be using an illegal player(s) would be suspended for a minimum of two games. Player(s) found playing on a team in which they are not on the roster would be suspended for a minimum of two games. 16. TIE BREAKER: One extra inning will be played. If the tie remains unbroken each team will receive half a win and half a loss. If the score is tied at the end of the time limit you will play one extra inning only (even if seven innings have not been completed). 17. PROTESTS: In order for a protest to be valid, the following steps must be taken: A. The manager or acting manager of the protesting team shall immediately notify the umpire that the game is being conducted under protest. The umpire shall in turn notify the opposing manager and the official scorekeeper. B. If the game is protested due to illegal players, the protest will automatically be granted if the team under protest does not have everyone who has played print their name and sign the line-up sheet. Managers have until 5:00 p.m. the next workday to file a protest for an illegal player(s). Managers playing on Sunday nights have until 5:00 p.m. Monday to file a protest for an illegal player(s). When protesting an illegal player(s), the manager for the protesting team must provide the questioned player(s) name(s) and spot(s) in the opposition’s batting order. Protests that fail to provide the required information will not be considered. Protesting an entire roster will also not be considered. C. Protests that shall be received and considered are: 1. Misinterpretation of a playing rule. 2. Illegal player. 18. A player must be 16 years of age to participate in the coed league. A waiver liability/release form needs to be filled out prior to the first game for players 16 and 17 years of age. 19. No infield practice will be allowed, however, teams may use the side areas to warm up. 20. Courtesy Runner: There is no limit to the number of courtesy runners allowed in an inning, however, a player may be a courtesy runner only once per inning. The courtesy runner used shall be the player of the same sex as the original base runner. The manager may select any player to be the courtesy runner, provided that: 1. Said player is not currently a base runner. 2. Said player is not the current batter. 3. Said player has not already been a courtesy runner in the current inning. ---PAGE BREAK--- If a courtesy runner is on base when it is his/her turn to bat, an additional out will be awarded to the defensive team. A courtesy runner cannot be requested for a courtesy runner. The courtesy runner is allowed to remain on base (unless there are three outs), and the correct batter is now the player whose name follows that of the batter called out. 21. Smoking is prohibited at all city parks including the Best Of The West Softball Complex. 22. ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: The possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages by members of your organization on the park facilities (ball diamond, buildings, parking lots, etc.) is strictly prohibited. Managers are encouraged to enforce this rule. Any team, player or manager caught with an alcoholic beverage in his or her possession will incur the following penalty: First offense: Manager and team will be issued a warning. Second offense: Team will forfeit game played, person/persons caught with an alcoholic beverage will be suspended for one game. Manager will also be suspended for one game. Third offense: Team will be removed from league and forfeit league fees. 23. Illegal Bats: Penalty for use of illegal bat is batter declared out, ball declared dead, batter ejected from the game and the illegal bat removed from the game. Note: When the batter takes his/her place in the batter’s box, with either foot, the above penalty will be enforced. Note: If the illegal bat is discovered after a ball is batted, nullify any advance of base runners as the result of the batted ball. 24. Verbal Threats will not be tolerated. If any player or manager makes a verbal threat in any manner, the umpire has the authority to immediately eject that person from the game. 25. In the event of inclement weather, the Sports Division will make a judgment on the playability of the softball fields by 4:00 p.m. of game day. If you do not receive a phone call from the Sports Division, consider your game to be as scheduled. The Sports Division will only inform team managers when games have been cancelled due to weather. 26. Team names will be reviewed by the League Director. Team names that reference sexual content, gender specific body parts, alcohol, drugs or foul language will not be permitted. 27. Rules are subject to change, when deemed necessary by the League Director. The League Director reserves the right to reclassify teams and determine eligibility of players. For further information or clarification, please contact the Sports Department at 267-5611. Revised 8/7/13