Fitness of the Playing Field

In tournament play the Site Director shall have the final say regarding the fitness of the playing field and the decision to play, delay, or cancel based on his/her evaluation of the field.

Pregame Conference

The Pregame Conference shall occur no later than five minutes prior to the start of the game and take place at home plate.

During the pregame conference no balls shall be hit or thrown in live ball territory or within the vicinity of the pregame conference.

An adult representative of each team shall attend the pregame conference and present their official lineup cards to the plate official.

1. The team representative is not required to be the head coach, however the head coach must be identified at the pregame conference.

At the pregame conference the game officials shall ask each of the team representatives to certify that their players are properly and legally equipped.

The game officials shall cover the ground rules, time limitations of the contest, and run spreads.

Regulation Game

A Regulation Game shall consist of seven innings unless extra innings are necessary due to a tied score. A regulation game may be shortened due to run rules, the home team does not require its half of the seventh inning, weather, daylight, or a predetermined time limit.

1. Tournament Directors may establish time limits on their contests. A game shall consist of either seven innings or the allotted time specified, whichever occurs first.
2. A new inning may not begin after a time limit has expired. Innings started prior to time limit expiring shall be completed.
3. The time limit of a game shall begin at the conclusion of the pregame conference.

A game ends when the team with less runs completes their final at bat in a regulation game.

If a game is suspended and resumed at a later point it shall continue from the point in the game it was suspended. The batting order, lineup, and all other components of each team reflected exactly how they were at the point of suspension.

Game ends due to weather will not be resumed after 40 minutes of game time has been played.

Run Rules allocate a win to the team that:

1. Has a 10 run lead after 3 innings are complete (2 ½ if the home team leads) Sub b. Has a 8 run lead after 4 innings are complete (3 ½ if the home team leads)

If after completing seven innings or at the conclusion of a time limit and the score is tied the following tiebreaker procedure shall be implemented. The player with the last completed at bat shall be placed at second base. A legal substitute may be inserted for the player placed at second base and a courtesy runner may be utilized for the pitcher or catcher.

1. The tiebreaker procedure shall continue until a winner is declared.
2. If a team is playing short-handed and the vacant position is set to be the player placed at second base the team will not be required to take an out for the vacant position and the player who precedes the absent player shall be placed at second.
3. If an incorrect base runner is placed at second base to start the tiebreaker procedure the correct runner should be inserted immediately even if a pitch has been thrown. There shall be no penalty as this is a correctable error, and all play made with the incorrect runner shall stand.
4. Game officials shall obtain the information of the correct base runner to start each half inning on second base from the scorekeepers and notify each team.

Scoring of Runs

One shall be recorded each time a base runner legally contacts first, second, third, and home plate prior to the third out of an inning.

1. Runners placed on second base in tiebreaker procedures are exempt from touching first base.
2. With two outs if a base runner is awarded home plate during a live ball and a trailing runner is tagged out prior to the lead runner reaching home plate, this run shall score.

No run shall be scored if the final out of an inning is the result of:

1. A batter-runner being called out before reaching first base or any other base runner forced out because of the batter becoming a batter-runner.
2. A runner being called out by a tag or a live-ball appeal prior to the lead runner contacting home plate.
3. A preceding base runner being called out during play or as a result of a successful appeal.
4. No run can be scored by a runner who is called out for the fourth out as a result of an appeal for leaving a base too soon on a tag up or missing a base.

Forfeited Game

A game shall be forfeited by game officials or the Site Director in the following instances:

1. A team is late in arriving or beginning play after the game officials declare the start of the game.
2. A team refuses to start a game or continue a game after the game has begun.
3. A team delays more than one minute in resuming play after game officials announce play to resume or refuses to obey game officials instructions to remove a player or coach.
4. A team employs the use of tactics intentionally designed to lengthen or shorten the game.
5. The team willfully and persistently violates any one of the rules after being warned by game officials.
6. A team is unable to produce enough legal players to start, continue, or finish the game.
7. If at any point the safety of game participants or game officials is in jeopardy.

The score of a forfeited game shall be seven runs to zero runs unless the game is forfeited after the required number of innings for a regulation game has been reached and the offending team is behind. In this case the score shall be recorded as the current score. If the forfeiting team is leading at the time of the forfeit the score shall be recorded as seven runs to zero runs.

Charged Defensive Conferences

A Defensive Conference is a meeting that occurs any time a defensive team representative delays the game or requests the game to be suspended for any reason to confer with or deliver a message to any defensive player. If a fielder leaves the field of play and enters the dugout area and gives the impression to game officials she received instruction this shall also be deemed a defensive conference.

The defense is allowed three charged defensive conferences without penalty during a seven inning game.

1. If a game enters into extra innings each team shall be granted one charged defensive conference per half inning without penalty.
2. Any conference in excess of three charged defensive conferences in a seven inning game or one charged defensive conference in a single inning of extra innings shall result in the pitcher being removed as a pitcher for the remainder of the game.

NOTE: A defensive conference will not be charged to remove the pitcher from the pitching position or to make a defensive substitution, provided the umpire is informed of the change before the representative steps over the foul line or consults with any player(s) and provided the team is ready to resume play when the umpire has completed recording and announcing the substitution or, in the case of a pitching change, the pitcher has completed their warmup pitches.

A charged defensive conference begins when the game is suspended and ends when the team representative enters dead ball territory or the defensive player returns to their position.

1. A defensive conference shall not exceed one minute in length. EFFECT- Game officials shall not allow more than the allotted number of defensive conferences or allow defensive conferences to continue past their allotted time limitation. Violation shall result in the head coach being warned and the conference immediately concluded. Any subsequent violation will result in the head coach being ejected.

Charged Offensive Conference

A Charged Offensive Conference is a meeting that occurs any time an offensive team representative delays the game or requests the game to be suspended for any reason to confer with or deliver a message to any offensive player.

The offense is allowed one charged offensive conference per half inning.

A charged offensive conference begins when the game is suspended and ends when the team representative returns to the coach's box or dead-ball territory.

1. An offensive conference shall not exceed one minute in length. EFFECT- Game officials shall not allow more than the allotted number of offensive conferences or allow offensive conferences to continue past their allotted time limitation. Violation shall result in the head coach being warned and the conference immediately concluded. Any subsequent violation will result in the head coach being ejected.