RULES

TOURNAMENT RULES 
ASA CO-ED Rules will apply except as specified below:
 
GAME REGULATIONS 
Each game has a time limit of 55 minutes. There will be 5 minutes between games.

1. Game time is forfeit time (a 10 minute grace period will be granted for the opening games only).
2. Home team will determined by a pre-game coin flip.
3. The umpire is the official scorekeeper.
4. Each team will maintain its own scorebook.
5. The umpire will confirm the score with the managers at the end of each half inning. Disputes will be settled before the next half inning begins.
6. The Mercy Rule is applied if a team is ahead by twenty (or more) runs at the end of the 3rd inning, fifteen (or more) runs at the end of the 4th inning or ten (or more) runs at the end of
the 5th inning (or any inning thereafter).
     a. The HOME team gets to bat in the bottom half of the inning if the AWAY team is ahead by the
number of runs required to trigger the mercy rule. If the HOME team fails to close the gap after
batting in its half of the inning, the AWAY team wins via the Mercy Rule and the game is
officially over.
     b. If the HOME team is ahead by the number of runs required to trigger the mercy rule after the
AWAY team bats the top of the inning, the HOME team does NOT have to bat in the bottom half of the inning. The HOME team wins via the Mercy Rule and the game is officially over.
 
PLAYER & ROSTER RULES
1. All players must be SSA employees or employees at an SSA facility. Employee ID badges will be checked to verify eligibility.
2. Teams using ineligible players will forfeit their games.
3. The players of each team must wear jerseys or tee shirts of matching color(s) with a number on the back.

PREGAME INFIELD PRACTICE  1. Infield practice will be allowed only if the lineup cards have been turned in and if time
allows.
2. The visiting team will assume infield practice first, followed by the home team. All warm-ups and infield practice must be concluded before game time.
  
EQUIPMENT1. Men will hit 12 inch softballs. Women will hit 11 inch softballs. Only .44 C.O.R. with 375 lb.
compression will be used.
2. Any player entering the batter’s box with a bat that does not have an ASA 2000 or 2004 certification mark or a bat that is listed on the ASA Illegal Bat List will be ejected from the
game (not the tournament).
3. No metal cleats. A player wearing metal cleats will be ejected from the game (not the tournament).

DEFENSIVE POSITIONS
1. A defensive team shall consist of ten players, with a maximum of five men in the game defensively at all times. A defensive team may consist of more women than men but not more men
than women.
2. Each team must have at least one woman playing outfield, at least one woman playing infield, and one woman playing either pitcher or catcher.
3. A game may be played with a minimum of eight players.
     a. A team can start a game with eight players but must have a minimum of four women. If no additional players arrive, and the team loses a player for any reason, the game is over at that
point with the shorthanded team losing by forfeit.
     b. A courtesy catcher is provided to teams fielding eight  players. The catcher will be responsible only for returning pitched balls to the pitcher and will not be eligible to field
batted or thrown balls in play.

LINEUP
1. Men and women must alternate in the batting order unless the team is playing with more women than men. Men may not bat consecutively.
2. A team may use the extra hitter position (EH) in addition to the ten defensive players in the lineup. If the EH is employed, there must be a female EH for each male EH.
     a. EHs are allowed free substitution defensively (an EH may switch to a position in the field and a fielder may switch to EH), but the batting order must remain the same.
 
PITCHING RULES
1. The pitch shall be released with an underhand motion.
2. For the protection of the pitcher, he/she has the option to start his/her delivery from behind the pitching rubber up to 6’.
3. The “Mat & Plate” will be used to call balls and strikes. Any legal pitch delivered within the height of six feet to twelve feet from the ground that hits either the mat or the plate will be declared a strike. A pitch that is taken by the batter and does not hit the plate or mat will be declared a ball.
4. The pitcher must be set before delivering the pitch to the batter.
5. If a male batter is walked on four balls (with no strikes pitched to him) or with two outs no matter the count, he receives two bases. Also, when a male player is walked with two outs, the following female batter may take a walk (one base) instead of batting if she chooses.
 
BASERUNNING RULES
1. Courtesy Runner: One courtesy runner is allowed per gender, per inning, per team. The courtesy runner will be the last batter or runner to make an out. If the courtesy runner’s turn to bat comes up while on base, the runner will be called out and the player will come to bat. The courtesy runner must be the same gender as the runner he/she is replacing.
2. Commit Line: A “commit” line will be drawn perpendicular to the third base line approximately 22 feet from home plate. Once the runner crosses the line he/she is committed to score and may
not return to 3rd base. Exception: If the runner fails to tag up on a fly ball and crosses the commit line he/she may return to 3rd base to tag up.
3. A veer line and home plate line will be used. Runners MAY NOT touch home plate or the mat; instead they must veer to the right of home plate and cross the home plate line. All plays at
home plate will be by force; no sliding and no tag plays are allowed. A runner will be determined safe if the runner’s foot or other body part crosses the home plate line before a defender in possession of the ball touches home plate. The home plate line shall be an extension of the first base line from home plate to the backstop.
4. When an infielder is at second or third base attempting to obtain a force out, the runner must slide directly to the bag, stop, or veer out of the way. If the runner goes into the bag standing up and collides with the fielder, the runner will be declared out and ejected from the game. The umpire has the discretion to rule interference and call the batter out at first base for a double  play.
  
FIELDING RULES
1. Fake tags applied to decoy a runner are considered "interference". The runner will be awarded an extra base and the fielder will be ejected from the game.
2. A fielder may not at any time block a base without having possession of the ball. Base blocking will result in an obstruction call.
 
RULES OF PLAY
1. 3-2-1 Count Rule. Each batter enters the box with a count of 1 ball and 1 strike. Three pitched balls entitle the batter to a base on balls. Two pitched strikes and a batter is out.
Each batter will receive one courtesy foul ball. If a batter has two strikes and hits the ball foul, the batter is given one extra strike. Any foul ball hit with two strikes on the batter,
after a courtesy foul, is an out.
2. Double First Base. Only runners advancing toward 2nd base may use the inside (white) base unless the throw pulls the defensive player off of the base or the throw comes from foul territory. Otherwise, a batter/runner running through first base on an infield grounder, must use the outside (orange) base.
3. Home Runs. There is a limit of three home runs per team per game. (This rule only pertains to “over the fence” home runs.) After the first three home runs are hit, any subsequent balls hit over the home run fence will be declared an out with no advancement of baserunners.
 
Tournament Format 
The tournament is round-robin