USSSA Howard County Summer Sizzler

July 26-27, 2008

Rockburn Branch Park, Elkridge, Maryland  -  Sat & Sun

Centennial Park West, Ellicott City, Maryland  - Sat Only (10U & 12U)

 

Tournament Rules & Information

 

1.  Maps and directions to Centennial Park West and Rockburn Branch Park can be found under the “Parks” section of www.usssa1.com.  Please note that the following concerning the parks:

 

A.  Centennial Park has several entrances.  We will be at the West entrance.  Centennial Park West is entered from Centennial Lane, just north of Rt 108.  The entrance from Rt 108 is the South (wrong) section.

 

B.  There are two parts to Rockburn Park, each with a separate entrance.  Fields 1-4 are entered from Landing Road.  Fields 7 & 8 are entered from Montgomery Road.  You can walk from one section to the other through a short wooded path, but to drive you must leave the section you’re in and go back out to Landing and Montgomery Roads.  The website has detailed directions to each part.

 

2.  In the event of inclement weather, a message will be left at 410-313-4455 (weather line for Rockburn) and/or 410-313-4454 (weather line for Centennial).  Please only have one member of the team make the call in order to not tie up the phone line.  It’s possible we may also the Director’s Forum portion of the message board at www.usssa1.com as a way to communicate any schedule changes.  Beyond these means, if a team is still unclear as to their game situation, the manager only may also call Mark Pendleton at 410-370-8476.  Note that as a general rule we do not individually contact each team in the event of adverse weather conditions.  Rather, it is the team’s responsibility to check the lines of communication listed above. 

 

3.  It is the manager’s responsibility to find out if, when and where their team is playing in Championship play.  That information will be posted at the tournament site immediately at the conclusion of pool play.  Sunday’s seedings may (but not definitely) be listed Saturday night on the Director’s Forum portion of the message board at www.usssa1.com. 

 

4.   Teams should report in to the tournament director 1 hour before the start of their first game, letting the director know that they have arrived and to receive any last minute instructions.

 

5.   Forfeit time is game time; however, the director’s discretion may be used if unique circumstances warrant otherwise.

 

6.  Teams must be prepared to play 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of a game, or 1 hour ahead of schedule if we were to have bad weather.  Otherwise, a forfeit may be declared.

 

7.   In pool play, the winner of a coin toss prior to the start of a game will have choice of being home or visitors.  In championship play the higher seeded team will have the choice.  If both teams are equally seeded in championship play then a coin toss will be used.

 

8.   All games will be subject to a time limit of 1:30.  There is NO drop dead rule.  No new inning may begin after the time limit has elapsed.  The clock begins immediately from the time that the pre-game conference ends.  Also, if the time limit is up and the home team is leading and at bat, then the game ends with whatever the score is at that point (ie, the final inning is not completed in this).

 

9.       All games will be subject to the International Tiebreaker Rule.  In pool play, the tiebreaker will be in effect only after 7 innings have been completed and if the time limit hasn't elapsed.  In pool play, only one tiebreaker inning will be held.  Once the time limit has elapsed and the game is tied, then the game is considered final and a tie will be awarded to both teams.  In championship play, the tiebreaker will be in effect when 7 innings have been completed or the time limit has expired, whichever comes first.  Games in Championship Play cannot end in a tie - the game must be played to completion – unless the tournament is canceled due to weather. 

 

10.   All games will be subject to a Run Ahead Rule.  We will use an 8 run rule after 5 innings, 10 run rule after 4 innings and a 12 run rule after 3 innings.  Losing team must bat in the inning in which the rule is invoked.

 

11.   Two additional players (AP’s) may be used in the lineup.  USSSA Rule 6 clarifies the use of the AP.

 

12.   Protests on any issue other than an umpire’s judgement will require a $75 cash fee.  Protests on an umpire’s judgement will not be allowed and no fee will be accepted.  Protests on rule or procedural interpretations during a game must be made before the next pitch and will be decided upon before the game is allowed to continue.  Protests on rule/procedures that occur at the end of the game must be made before the next game begins on that field.  Protests on player eligibility must be made before either team starts their next game and will be decided upon before either team continues play.  The protest committee will be made up of any part of the following: tournament director, site director, tournament UIC, site UIC or any of their designees.  If the protest is upheld the $75 will be refunded.  If the protest is denied the fee will be forfeited.

 

13.   If an ineligible player participates at any time during the event, the player and team manager will be ejected from the remainder of the tournament and all games in which that player participated will be forfeited.  Participation is defined as either actively playing in the game or appearing anywhere on the official lineup that’s presented prior to the start of a game.  Examples of ineligible players include, but are not limited to, playing on two teams in the same event, not being listed on the team roster that was presented prior to the tournament, violating the age requirement, playing under an assumed identity, use of a fraudulent birth certificate, not presenting a birth certificate when requested to do so, etc.

 

14.   Once pool play is completed, the order of finish within each pool is determined by an average point system, whereby two points are awarded for each win, 1 point for each tie and no points for a loss.  Teams are ordered by the average points earned per game played.  To break ties, the following are used in order: 

 

1)    head-to-head (only applies when 2 teams are tied)

2)    lowest average runs allowed per game played

3)    head-to-head (only if two teams remain after 2)

4)    highest average runs scored per game played

5)    head-to-head (only if two teams remain after 4)

6)    number of wins

7)    coin toss.

 

Notes:

(a)    In a three-way tie, once one team is selected as the best team by the tiebreaker process, then head-to-head is applied to the remaining two teams. If the two teams did not play each other or if there are more than two teams remaining, then the process continues from the point at which the first team was selected.  For example, assume Teams A, B & C have given up 5, 4 & 3 runs, respectively, have all earned the same average points and A beat B, B beat C and C beat A.  Then Team C would be the top seed based on least average runs allowed.  Team A would then be the 2nd seed due to head-to-head between teams A and B.

 

(b)    A team will receive two points as a result of winning by forfeit.  The points awarded for the forfeit will count toward the average points, but the forfeit will not count in the runs allowed or scored tiebreakers.  A team will not be allowed to improve their seeding position by virtue of forfeiting their final pool game, whether done intentionally or not.

 

(c)    Games in which neither an official winner nor a tie has been declared do not count toward any of the tiebreakers above.

 

15.   If inclement weather or other conditions impede the normal progress of the tournament, the director reserves the right to change the tournament format in order to achieve the maximum number of games played or to declare an order of finish.

 

16. All batters and baserunners must wear a batting helmet equipped with a NOCSAE approved face guard.  There are no exceptions to the face guard requirement.

 

17. At all age groups the distance between the bases is 60 feet.  At all age groups except 10&under the pitching distance is 40 feet.  At 10&under the pitching distance is 35 feet.

 

18. A pitcher does not have to be replaced because of excessive hit batters or walks issued.

 

19. For clarification sake games are seven innings and there are 9 players in the field at a time.  See the following rule about the use of the Extra Players (EP) and the Designated Hitter (DH). 

 

20. Remember that USSSA in Maryland allows up to two Additional Players (AP) and a Designated Hitter (DH).  The APs may be used to allow a 10th and 11th batter in the batting order and can be moved around in the field of play to give a player in the field a rest.  The DH must assume a batting order position in place of the DEFensive Only player (DEFO).  The DEFO may assume the batting order position of the DH at any time in the game.  The use of an AP or 2 APs and/or DH in each game is the option of each team.  Note that a game that starts with an AP or APs must finish with one.  (A team may play shorthanded due to injury and no substitutes).  Please refer questions about these positions to the Tournament/Field Director and the UIC.

 

21. There is no use of the infield by either team for warm up prior to the start of the game.  Groundballs may be practiced behind the baselines between 1st and 2nd and between 3rd and 2nd .  Likewise pitcher may not pitch from the circle/pitching rubber until the game has started.

 

 

 

Special USSSA 10&Under Class C Event Rules

 

1.  First please refer to the USSSA online rulebook for the base set of rules used in all USSSA events.
http://www.usssa.com/usssa/usssa-general/SeventhEditionRuleBook.pdf

2.       There will be no infield fly rule.  The ball remains alive with all runners in jeopardy of being put out.

3.       There will be no dropped third strike rule.  Whether the 3rd strike is caught or not, the batter is out.

4.      10 & under base stealing is allowed under the following rules. Runners starting at first base or second base are entitled to steal one base only per pitch with liability to be put out. (Runners ARE NOT ENTITLED TO ADVANCE more than one base per pitch even in the event of an overthrow at ANY base.) Runners starting at third base may not steal home but are liable to be put out if they are off the base.

1. A runner attempting to advance beyond the one base they are entitled to steal may be put out while between bases or in contact with a base to which she/he is not entitled
2. After all play ceases and the ball becomes dead, if a runner occupies a base beyond the one the runner was entitled to steal, the runner will be returned to the correct base without liability to be put out.
3. A batter runner, who has received a base on balls, can attempt to steal second base.
4. Awarded bases will apply to all runners. This includes an overthrow into dead ball territory.
5. Runners can only score on:

a) a batted ball.
b) A base on balls or hit batter with bases loaded.
c) An awarded base when the ball goes out of play to include a pitch that goes out of play.
d) An illegal pitch.

5.      A 5 run limit per inning shall be imposed on any inning that begins less than 60-minutes from the start of the game.  All subsequent innings shall have no run limit.  Umpire will note when the 60-minute time mark is reached in the game.

 

Points of Emphasis

For

USSSA 10&Under in Class C Events

1.      Bunting shall be allowed. (USSSA Rulebook – Rule 7)

2.      Nine (9) players shall play defense at a time except when completing a game shorthanded.  USSSA allows starting games with 9 players and dropping back to 8 during the game (taking an out for the spot vacated in the batting order). (USSSA Rulebook – Rule 5)

3.      Please see the USSSA online rulebook for information on the use of a Designated Hitter (DH) and/or Additional Players (AP).  (USSSA Rulebook – Rule 5)

4.      A batting order may consist of 9, 10 or 11 batters (9 players/DH and up to 2 additional players).  (USSSA Rulebook – Rule 5)

5.      Both windmill and slingshot pitching styles shall be allowed.  (USSSA Rulebook – Rule 6)

6.      Pitchers may pitch unlimited number of innings per game and for the tournament as a whole.

7.      There is no mandatory removal of a pitcher from the pitching position because of the number of batters hit by pitches.

8.      There is no use of the infield by either team for warm up prior to the start of the game. Groundballs may be practiced behind the baselines between 1st and 2nd and between 3rd and 2nd.  Likewise pitcher may not pitch from the circle/pitching rubber until the game has started.

9.      All on-deck batters, batters, base runners, and bat shaggers shall wear a NOCSAE approved batting helmet equipped with dual earflaps and a NOCSAE approved face guard.  There are no exceptions to the face guard requirement. (USSSA Rulebook – Rule 2)

10.  Please familiarize yourself with USSSA Rulebook -- Rule 11 Sportsmanship.