SENIOR DIVISION

Gameplay Rules

  1. Games are 7 innings with a 2-hour 15-minute time limit. The Umpire and Managers of both teams must note and agree on the start time. No inning may start after the 2 hour mark. If the game is called due to rain or darkness or time limit expires, the game is considered completed after 4 1/2 innings. If a game is called prior to these completed innings for darkness, rain or other reasons, the game shall be deemed cancelled and must be rescheduled as if it had not been played and any innings pitched will not count.
  2. Regular season games may end in a tie. THERE IS NO TIME LIMIT during post-season games.
  3. GAME RULES: Dropped Third Strike - Stealing on Release – Continuation - Infield Fly Rule – Universal Batting Order (All players bat.)- No Intentional Walks - Girls Must Slide or Give themselves up when there is a close play at a base or risk getting called out by Umpire (except at 1st Base) ... Consider this as your Pre-Game warning.
  4. Only Managers/Coaches may coach 3rd base. Players may coach 1st base only as long as they wear a batting helmet. Coach boxes must be staffed while your team is hitting. Defensive coaching is allowed from the dugout only. You may not leave the dugout unless you ask for a time-out.
  5. Minimum Player Rule: 10 players in the field. Forfeit at 6 players. A team can play with 7 players. The game will not be delayed waiting for players to arrive. The team with less than 9 players may borrow a player from any other Senior Team or Division below. She must wear her own team’s jersey to identify her. She may not pitch and must bat last (playoffs included). All late arriving players get added to the bottom of the batting order. No team shall incur an OUT for a player that
    leaves early or for injury. All Players must play at least 3 innings in the field. No player may be rostered on more than one team.
  6. Home team is responsible for accurately setting up the field, supplying bases and the game balls (12” Leather, Core .47 balls). Visiting team should question any measurements before the start of the game. No protests will be allowed on field set-up once the first pitch is thrown and game begins, although corrections will be made accordingly.
  7. PITCHING: Mound is 43 feet. Pitchers may pitch a maximum of 4 innings each game. A Starting Pitcher may be removed and is allowed to return once during a game. One pitch counts as an inning. A Pitcher must be changed on second visit to mound in an inning. If a pitcher hits 3 batters in an inning or 4 batters during a game, she must be removed. If the game goes into extra innings, the pitcher may return and pitch an unlimited number of innings (not to exceed 7 total innings for the
    game), unless she has been disqualified for hitting batters. All changes must be reported to the Umpire and opposing team.
  8. PITCHING MOTION: Pitcher should begin with one foot touching the rubber. When taking the pitching position, the pitcher must have his/her hands separated and must have the ball in either the glove or the pitching hand. Prior to pitching, the pitcher shall take a position with his/her pivot foot [same foot as pitching hand] in contact with the pitcher's plate. League will follow the step back pitching rule whereby a backward step may be taken before or simultaneous with the hands being brought together. The pivot foot must always remain in contact with the pitching plate prior to the forward step. Both feet must stay within 24 inches of the pitcher’s plate
  9. SAFETY BAG: On a hit that can cause a play at first base, the batter runner must touch the orange safety base. Failure to do so will result in the batter-runner being called out. (Exception: If batter-runner uses the white part of the base to avoid contact with the fielder, the batter-runner can be ruled safe. For example, on a dropped third strike play, where the catcher throws from foul territory to first base.)
  10. INFIELD WARMUP IN 1st INNING ONLY. Pitchers get five warm-up pitches in their first inning, and 3 thereafter.
  11. SPEED UP RULE: With 2 OUTS, PITCHERS & CATCHERS may be brought to dugout and a courtesy runner used in their place. Courtesy runner is last batted out. Managers have the option, not mandatory.
  12. No Warnings will be issued for leaving early on a steal attempt. (This is your warning.)
  13. TIE GAMES: If the game is tied after 7 innings and still within the 2-hour, 15-minute time limit, each team will start extra innings with the last batted out from the previous inning being awarded 2nd base (International Tie-Break Rules).
  14. Managerial Time-Outs: On Defense- Permission from the umpire must be granted prior to each mound visit. Offensive: manager/coaches are allowed 2 visits to the field per game, requiring permission from the umpire.
  15. MERCY RULE: 12-Runs after 4 1⁄2 innings, 10 runs after 5 1⁄2 innings. Losing team must bat a minimum of 5 times. This rule applies in regular & post-season.
  16. Batter MUST make an attempt to get out of the way of a pitch. Batter awarded 1st base at umpire’s discretion.
  17. Players may not wear any jewelry unless it is a medical alert bracelet. Taping or covering of jewelry is prohibited.
  18. All other rules conform to CURRENT ASA Rulebook.
  19. Once a game is officially rained out, it is the home team’s responsibility to reach out to their league for available fields, dates and times. Within 48 hours after the rained out game, the home team shall share with the away team two options to make up the game. The visiting team then has 24 hours to respond and accept one of the dates. If no response, the division head will assign and schedule the makeup.
  20. We have a tight timeline for playoffs. In fairness to all, we ask managers to adhere to the playoff round completion dates as best they can. We will allow for reasonable accommodations to extend a day or two if necessary. Long delays between playoff rounds will affect all remaining teams and rounds and will not be tolerated. It is the manager’s responsibility to prepare themselves during the season to ensure there is a coach/parent who can run the team if the manager is not available, otherwise risk forfeiting the game if a reasonable amount of time cannot be met?
  21. If a manager is thrown out of a game for any reason, he/she will automatically receive an additional minimum 1 game suspension and be brought in front of their respective league’s disciplinary committee.
  22. When schedules are posted, it is the league’s intent to play as many games as possible. We want the girls to play! In this spirit, we are asking all managers to make every effort to complete as much of the schedule as possible. Not doing so may affect a team’s post season seeding, at the discretion of the Town Directors.

STANDINGS & PLAYOFF TIE BREAKERS:

  1. All scores must be reported by the winning team the night of your game via the following link
    _______________________________________ where you can also find the standings. You will not be credited with a win unless these procedures are followed. 2 points will be awarded for a win and 1 point for a tie.
  2. In the event of a tie we will use the following tie breaking procedures:
    1.  Head-to-head record
    2. Total number of games played
    3. Head-to-head against next highest seeds, going down until one team has a better record against the next higher seed
    4. Compare Runs-Allowed ratio- add up all runs allowed and divide by the number of defensive innings your team played.
    5. Coin Toss
  3. The playoffs will not re-seed after each round. It is too difficult to schedule the rounds in advance if teams are re-seeded.