Part 6: Running the Bases

So you’ve hit the ball, it’s not been caught in the air by a fielder, it lands fair and you’re forced to run. You have now become a BATTER-RUNNER until you reach first base, and a BASERUNNER thereafter.

You are not considered safe — i.e. you can’t become a baserunner— until you reach first base without being put out. If any defensive player is holding the baIl and touches first base with any part of her body, or the ball itself, before you get there, you are OUT.

A typical example would be this: you hit the ball along the ground (called a GROUND BALL) to the shortstop. You set off for first base. The shortstop picks it up and throws to the first base player, who catches the ball in her glove while her foot is in contact with the base. The ball gets to her before you can reach the base. You’re out! You can be put out in the same way at all bases to which you are FORCED to run (we’ll explain when you’re forced to run and when you’re not in a moment).

Remember - as a baserunner you are never safe until you are touching a base. If at any point you are touched with the ball (whether in or out of the glove) by a fielder and you are not safely in contact with a base, you are out. This is called a TAG. There are two exceptions to this rule:

• Over-running first base. As a batter - runner, you don’t have to stop dead on first base. You are allowed to make contact with the base and then run on beyond it in a straight line (so you don’t lose speed and momentum), after which you can safely walk back to first without the danger of being tagged out. However, if you pass first base and turn into the field of play with the intent to run on towards second, you can be tagged out. When running to second or third base, however, you must stay in con-tact with the base once you reach it. Incidentally: you can also over-run home plate when scoring a run.
• A dead ball situation. An example of a dead ball situation is when the batter swings and hits the ball into Foul Territory. The ball is now considered dead and no play can take place, so if you had left your base on the swing, you are allowed to walk back to it in safety prior to the next pitch. Another common example of a dead baIl situation is an OVERTHROW. This is where a ball thrown errantly or missed by one of the fielders winds up in Dead Ball Territory. At this point, the umpire will call the play dead. Any baserunners are then allowed to walk safely to the base they were attempting to reach at the point when the throw was made, plus one more. Even if a baserunner was standing on a base, she will be awarded the next base she might have advanced to, plus one more. Inexperienced players often dispute the award of two additional bases in this situation, but that’s the rule!

Now we’ll look more closely at when baserunners are forced to run and when they’re not, and what fielders have to do in these situations to put runners out.

FORCE OUTS

Lets suppose that you have made it to first base safely and now the next batter comes up to bat. Remember that you can only advance to second base or beyond if the next batter hits the ball or receives a walk; you are not allowed to ‘steal’ bases as in baseball or Fastpitch Softball.

However, if the next batter hits the ball into Fair Territory without it being caught in the air, you are forced to run towards second base because the batterrunner is coming to occupy first base and no more than one runner per base is allowed. In any situation where you as a baserunner are forced to advance, the defensive team can put you out simply by throwing the ball to a player standing on the base to which you’re advancing. This is called a FORCE OUT (or Force Play). No tag is necessary - although the fielder can choose to tag you while you’re between bases if she wishes.

Let’s suppose that you’re a baserunner on first and the next batter hits a ground ball to the shortstop. You are forced to run to second, the batterrunner is forced to run to first, and the defensive team has a choice of two possible FORCE OUTS - you or the batter-runner. If they’re feeling ambitious and there are less than two outs, they can go for both of you; if they’re successful, this is called a DOUBLE PLAY. Typically, the shortstop would throw the baIl to the second baseplayer standing on second - that puts you out - and the second baseplayer would throw immediately on to first base. If the throw reaches the first baseplayer before the batterrunner reaches the base, she too would be out and the defensive team would be feel-ing quite proud of themselves!

Force plays can apply at any base. For example, if there are baserunners on all three bases (this is called BASES LOADED), then all the runners are forced to run on the next hit that isn’t caught in the air, and the fielders could get a FORCE OUT at any base - including home plate.

WHAT IF THE BALL IS CAUGHT IN THE AIR?

Suppose you’re on first base with less than two out and the next bat-ter hits the ball in the air towards an outfielder (this is called a FLY BALL, or, if it’s hit on a low, hard trajectory, a LINE DRIVE). Well, as soon as the outfielder catches the ball before it hits the ground (and the laws of physics tell you this will happen within seconds), then the batter is out - at which point you’re no longer forced to run to second, since there’s no batter-runner coming to occupy first. The force is off.

Instead, you can choose whether to advance to second or not and so the defensive team can’t get you out with a Force Play. They can only get you out by tagging you with the ball: a TAG OUT or Tag Play. That’s why, if the ball is hit in the air towards a fielder when you’re a forced runner, you shouldn’t automatically take off for the next base, because the catch might be made and the force removed.

AND HERE’S THE KEY POINT:

you cannot advance to the next base on a caught fly ball unless your foot is in contact with the base you’re already occupying when the catch is made, or afterwards. This is called TAGGING UP. You must tag up before you can advance after a caught fly ball. Why? It’s a rule!

TAG OUTS

You have probably already grasped the point that fielders must TAG OUT runners who are not forced to run; simply standing on the base with the ball won’t do.

Say you are the first batter in the inning and you hit a DOUBLE (a hit that allows you get to second base). When the next batter hits the ball and runs toward first, you don’t have to advance if you don’t want to, because no one is coming to occupy your base. It you do choose to head for third, you are UNFORCED and to put you out, a fielder must tag you with the ball in hand or glove before you reach your target base. In fact, you can turn around and run back to the base you came from if that seems a wiser choice; no one is coming to occupy that base and it’s still yours!

There is a great deal of skill and judgement involved in baserunning and a good runner can often gain an advantage by forcing the defensive team to panic and make mistakes. So pay attention at all times, run hard and look for chances to take extra bases when the defenders make bad throws or simply aren’t paying attention. Never give up on the possibilities until the umpire has called "Time!" and the play is over.

SLIDING

Remember that we said you can overrun first base (or home), but not second and third, where you can be tagged out if you’re not in contact with the base. But running hard and then stopping dead on a 17" piece of plastic isn’t easy!

One way to do this is to slide the last few feet into the base along the ground, so that you come to rest on or in contact with the base with minimal loss of momentum. Another reason to slide is that you will present a smaller and more difficult target for the defensive player who might be waiting to tag you.

TIPS FOR SLIDING

Start your slide about 10 feet from the base. Tuck one leg under the other, lean back into a reclining position, but keep your fists clenched and your arms up off the ground (to avoid injuries). Sliding is most fun and least painful on wet grass; it can be a killer on Astroturf or gravel infields!

Conclusion: So You Want to Know More?

This Idiot's Guide is designed to tell beginning players how to play the basic game. There is a lot this guide doesn't cover, in terms of both rules and playing techniques. Once you're familiar with the basic rules of the game, you might want to look at a proper rulebook. UK Softball follows, for the most part, standard rules devised by the ASA (Amateur Softball Association) in America. You can buy an ASA rulebook for £6.00 from BaseballSoftballUK. E-mail Bob Fromer on: fromer@baseballsoftballuk.com.

If you want to know more about the techniques of batting, fielding, throwing, baserunning etc contact Bob Fromer to order an illustrated Basic Coaching Manual for £12.00, a Softball Drills Book for £10.00 and/or a 90 minute Slowpitch Softball Coaching Video for £11.50.

BaseballSoftballUK Coaching can supply coaches to run clinics for beginning players; contact Ian Smyth on: smyth@baseballsoftballuk.com.

For more general information about Softball, ring the BaseballSoftballUK office on 020 7453-7055 or e-mail: info@baseballsoftballuk.com.

For more general information about Softball, ring BSF National Development Officer Bob Fromer on 01886-884204.