CAUSE Sports League
Charities of
2008 Non-competitive Softball Rules
Rule #1 of the CAUSE League is to have fun!!
Rules of Play
Teams will field ten players consisting of six males and four females in any combination of positions on the field. Teams can play with a minimum of 8 players, however they must field a minimum of two females. In the event of the 6/2 ratio the team will be forced to take an automatic out in the “ninth” batting spot to account for “no more than two males may bat in a row” rule.
Two games will be played every Wednesday night starting at 6:00 and 7:15. It is recommended that teams try and start their games as close to the starting time as possible in order to get a full official 7 inning gamed played. Games will end after either 7 innings have been played or after 1 hour and 10 minutes. So for the 6:00 game a new inning cannot begin after 7:10. For the second game a new inning cannot begin one hour and ten minutes after the time the game started. Because the first game could run long and the second game could start beyond 7:15 the captains will have to agree upon the actual start time of the second game and mark the 1 hour and 10 minute time limit from that start time. A time limit on the second game eliminates any controversy over when it becomes to dark to play and thus helps avoid any injuries due to darkness.
Rosters
Complete and final rosters will be due by the fifth week of play, July 2nd. Once the final roster is submitted no new team members may be added to the team. Team captains will fill out roster sheet provided by league commissioner and submit no later than July 2. Any roster disputes should be brought to the league commissioner’s attention and will be settled among the commissioner and team captains involved in the dispute.
Equipment
Bases and one brand new game ball and one previously used ball for each game will be provided by the league. If more balls are needed during the course of a game teams must provide from their own supply. Balls used must be “Restricted Flight”.
For safety reasons multi-walled or “supercharged” bats will be prohibited. If you’re unsure if the bat you are purchasing is not safe please try and use common sense. In other words, if the softball bat you’re purchasing costs more than an I-Pod it is more than likely unsafe. Following is the URL to the Approved Bat List http://www.usclubsport.com/pages/2008%20Bats.pdf.
Starting a Game
A ten minute grace period will be granted each game to allow teams to get to full squad if short players.The full team may elect to start the game as the “home” team to give the short team more time.
Coaches should determine what is “in play” and “out of play” before each game.
Pitching
This is an “everyone hits” league. Slow pitch softball requires a six (6) to twelve (12) foot arc (i.e. the ball must reach at least six but no more than twelve feet above the ground on its way to the plate.) If an opposing team's pitcher is woefully inadequate, the opposing team may request to the opposing coach that they replace the pitcher. Please keep in mind that the purpose of the league is to allow players the opportunity to hit the ball and to have fun. Every team should put a good athlete on the mound to make sure everybody has a chance to hit.
NEW! Extended Home Plate
In the spirit of “everyone hits” the league does not employ umpires to call balls and strikes, however, in an effort to speed up play and encourage batters to swing at pitches that are in the strike zone we will be employing an extended home plate rule this season. The strike zone will be defined by an extended home plate whose width is the normal plate width and whose depth extends approximately 2.5 feet behind the front of the plate. Any pitch landing partially or wholly in this area is a strike. It will be up to the catcher to determine whether the pitch hits any part of the extended home plate. Team captains shall discuss and resolve any disputed strike calls.
Batting
Teams can choose to bat as many players as they want. The only condition is that no more than two males may bat in a row. Based on this rule, depending on how many women are available will determine how many players can bat. Line ups must be provided to the opposing team prior to the start of the game. Substitutions in the batting order can be made once the player has played the previous half-inning in the field. Only females may substitute for another female in the batting order. Substitution does not disqualify a player from re-entering the game later.
Opposing coaches may determine how flexible they want to be with the batting orders but the integrity of the batting order should be maintained throughout the game.
Bunting is not allowed. However, be aware that there may be unintentional bunts due to non-athletic swings, which should be allowed.
Base Running
No leading off bases. The base runner may not leave the base until contact has been made.
No base stealing.
Pinch runners are allowed if another player is injured. Pinch runners can be inserted to run for the batter from home plate or can be inserted for the batter once they reach base. If inserted to run for the batter from home plate the pinch runner must start behind an imaginary line drawn from the end of the home plate to the backstop and can not start running until contact is made.
On an overthrow, runners may advance as many bases as possible as long as the ball stays “in play.” If the ball goes “out of play” the runner may advance one base from where they were when the ball went out.
Plays at home will be tag plays (except of course a bases loaded force out). There will be no special rules in place for plays at the plate. Except no bowling over the catcher.
Forfeits
A forfeiture results when a team does not have at least eight (8) players ready to play at least ten minutes after the start of game time and the other team is ready to play. The full team may allow the team that is short players more time if they so desire. This is highly encouraged (within reason). The team that has a "full team" may decide to start the game as the "away team" to allow additional time for the remaining players on the other team to arrive. This is at the discretion of the "full team".
Once a forfeit is called, teams may play a practice game by "lending" players to the team that had to forfeit. This way all players that showed for the game will get some playing time. You may also use the field for a practice game if the opposing team forfeits in advance. The field has been reserved for your team, you are welcome to take advantage of the open field.
Rainouts
Rainouts will be rescheduled according to field reservations. Rainout decisions will be made by the Piedmont Park Conservancy. You can check this URL for field closures http://www.piedmontpark.org/do/ballfields.html or call this number 404.817.8101.
Officiating (The Honor System)
There are no official umpires for the regular season in the CAUSE league. Coaches will be responsible for conferring and resolving any questionable calls in the fairest manner possible. It is important for all to remember that this is a non-competitive league and while winning is nice having fun is more important.
