Here is a brain buster....

There is no liablity until she makes a move for 2nd.......as long as she has not touched first base a second time.. ( returned to the bag after running through it). If she returns to the bag, look back rule in effect...

 

Agressive move...

the baserunner has to make an agressive move towards second to be tagged out. If she is walking back toward first without having made a move to second there is no intent and cannot be called out. As coach said she is in the baseline no matter if she turns right or left and without a move to second she is just coming back to first.

We teach our players to walk slowly back toward first adjusting their helmets as they survey the positioning of the middle infielders. If the shortstop and or second baseperson is looking toward the outfield or signalling the number of outs and not paying attention...go for it. This play works best after a close play at first, when the defense drops their heads and lose concentration...it only takes about 3 seconds!!

 

Thank you, that helps.

 

Aggressive move.....

....by a pitcher in the circle changes everything. The simple raising of her arm constitutes an attempt to defend advancement of a runner. Then all hell breaks loose. Look folks, the runner tagging 1st has every right to run through the bag! Especially the Orange bag. Safety bag as some call it. Anyway, as the 1B safe runner returns to the bag, slowly,...straight towards 1st, and Bam! she runs to 2b, its the kids on defense to throw her out! If she eases back to 1b while the pitcher is eyeing her like a hawk, then she'll stay put. ??the big deal is....how can an offense disrupt the defense? Oh MY!!!!, the pitcher is at a disadvantage!!!. No she's not!,

 

As long as she continues to first base, she is without liability to be put out. The instant she breaks for second she voids that protection. Again, I don't think it matters whether she's in fair or foul territory. Once the ball is back in the circle, she can (a) continue to move in the current direction (at the moment towards 1B) and (b) stop (once) and instantly begin moving in either direction (in this case towards 2B). Once she breaks for second though, she's committed to 2B, and can't retreat to 1B unless a play is made on her. And if she reaches 1B, she can't leave.

 

I understand what has been said so far, but I am tried to work through the logic of the rule. Thanks for bearing with me.

So while she is walking back to 1B, she is under the protection as if she is standing on first base. The logic would tell me that, if the pitcher gets the ball back in the circle(no attempted play), the batter/runner must return to 1B.

I understand that it is done all the time in College ball, again, just trying to follow the logic that allows the runner to leave the protection of the "walk back to 1B". Is there another example of a player being allowed to change their liability circumstances like this?

 

Agressive move?

Does the runner have to make an aggressive move towards 2nd base in order to be tagged out? Seems to me that if she turns towards second base and goes outside the baseline extended she can also be tagged out.

 

Mind you that I'm not a rules authority... I know what I know and I think I know more than that.

"Walking back to first" is just the extension of the fact that the runner may overrun first and return without liability to be put out. Making an attempt for second is what removes this protection. Doing this while walking back to first while the ball is in the circle is the player's one "free" change of direction.

Except for advancing a base on BB and HP, I can't think of another live-ball situation where a runner can be off base without liability to be put out. (There are obviously dead-ball situations, like IP and Obstruction).

Some codes (I can't remember which ones, it may be NCAA) specifically don't allow the runner to pass first without liability on a BB or HP.

 

The runner needs to do something to show an attempt to get to second base. Simply turning left on the way back to first is not enough.

Looking to find the rulebook's wording on this, now has be rethinking what I've been saying about LBR and returning to first. ASA says this:

Don't have an NFHS book handy right now...

 

It looks like the NCAA rule book and the ASA rule book differ a little on this.