Back and forth game early on. Dixie’s stud McGinn ejected in the 2nd or 3rd on a bad call at the plate. Luckily for Dixie, they were able to overcome the loss of their best player and pull out the win.

Congrats Dixie!

Back and forth game early on. Dixie’s stud McGinn ejected in the 2nd or 3rd on a bad call at the plate. Luckily for Dixie, they were able to overcome the loss of their best player and pull out the win.

 

Been a few moons since my daughter played HS softball. Does the kid have to sit out another game or two in semis?

Been a few moons since my daughter played HS softball. Does the kid have to sit out another game or two in semis?

 

Yes. Must sit the next two games. Quite a penalty to pay over a little lip service on a call at the plate. Did she blantantly try to show the umpire up? Or, was there rabbit ears involved?

Been a few moons since my daughter played HS softball. Does the kid have to sit out another game or two in semis?

 

I hope not.

Yes. Must sit the next two games. Quite a penalty to pay over a little lip service on a call at the plate. Did she blantantly try to show the umpire up? Or, was there rabbit ears involved?

 

The umpire ruled malicious intent on the collision with the catcher which resulted in the ejection and 2 game suspension. Dixie has appealed the ruling.

 

On the play, the catcher was out in front of the plate in the correct position. The throw home was cut off at the mound and then fired home. Her thrown was high and up the 3rd base line. Catcher lands at the edge of the box with the ball as the Dixie runner is just a step away. Dixie running immediately starts to go down into a slide to avoid running her over completely as it was a bang-bang play. Umpires hands immediately goes up in the air and then calls the runner out. Umpires got together, call stood, and Dixie player ejected for a judgement call of malicious intent.

@nees1212

I didn't see the play. In this era if there is any chance at all of a play at the plate, you better slide. Do you think she waited too late to slide? Could she have started her slide sooner?

@nees1212

I didn't see the play. In this era if there is any chance at all of a play at the plate, you better slide. Do you think she waited too late to slide? Could she have started her slide sooner?

 

I saw it live from beyond the right field wall last night, and I've watched the video a bunch of times. I thought it was a bad call live, and after watching the video multiple times, I still think it was a bad call. The catcher starts her jump for the ball as the runner is hitting the brown turf surrounding home plate.

 

 

The catcher lands at the edge of the batters box right in the path of the runner. The runner actually starts to drop into her slide as she sees the catcher heading into her direction as she had no other way of avoiding contact.

 

 

 

Do to the timing, the runner was never able to get fully down into her slide which resulted in the collision.

 

 

Those pictures cause me to think it was the right call. Video would help.

 

Tough situation. Runner is probably forced to slide a little early but she has to slide before the contact.

Edited May 31, 20197 yr by Voice of Reason

Those pictures cause me to think it was the right call. Video would help.

 

I completely disagree, I don't see her going high or raising her arms to strike the cathcher or does it like the slide was late. The catcher was up the line and it makes it look like a late slide, but in my opinion it wasn't. To be fair I have seen the video also.

 

Here is a link to watch the video taken by Chris Burkhart.

Twitter

Edited May 31, 20197 yr by Jumper_Dad

I completely disagree, I don't see her going high or raising her arms to strike the cathcher or does it like the slide was late. The catcher was up the line and it makes it look like a late slide, but in my opinion it wasn't. To be fair I have seen the video also.

 

Here is a link to watch the video taken by Chris Burkhart.

Twitter

 

The video does help her case. It really is a borderline call. I would like to get the views from umpires. I believe the rules today are pretty strict in these home plate tag situations. We need some umpires to give us the rule book viewpoint.

The video does help her case. It really is a borderline call. I would like to get the views from umpires. I believe the rules today are pretty strict in these home plate tag situations. We need some umpires to give us the rule book viewpoint.

 

NFHS rulebook is different from the other softball sanctions in that an umpire can rule that a runner or fielder used malicious or flagrant contact, therefore resulting in an ejection. In this particular play, this is exactly what the plate umpire ruled. Below is a paragraph I found from an article discussing interference and obstruction in fastpitch softball, which perfectly describes this play.

 

In the situation of a throw drawing the catcher into the basepath of the runner approaching home plate, suppose the catcher gains possession of the ball just before the runner collides with her and she drops the ball as the runner touches the plate. The contact is not judged to be malicious. As noted in the NFHS casebook, this is a legal play and considered incidental contact; the run scores. However, if the collision occurs just before the catcher gains possession of the ball, the umpire should rule obstruction on the catcher and award the runner home plate.

I doubt any umpire jumps in here. "Men in blue, code". Just bad optics to make such a major call on such a borderline play. Replay would have saved this player's ejection and ineligibility for next 2 games.

I see no malicious intent there. I would not have made an ejection call had I been umpiring. Sad the kid has to sit out games.

Can the suspension be appealed?