You make the call

2-51-2 The two most common types of slap hits are: a. Those in which the batter takes her stance as if to bunt but then either drives the ball into the ground with a quick, short swing or punches it over the infield

I don't see where it says she must bring her hands together. Looks to me like a 'punch' could be delivered with the hands in a bunting position. Didn't mean to start a feud. It really doesn't matter. With 2 strikes she should have swung away or made sure it stayed fair by taking it to the right side. Her thought was to get it over the 3rd base head. Didn't work, she was called out. End of story.

 

I would hope not, believe it or not I have only ejected one HS coach in my entire HS career and he was an asst. who left the dugout in between an inning and started to argue the inning ending 1-6-3 double play call at first, while standing along side the spectators on the outside of the fence.

none in NCAA.

Never had a coach make the arguement personnal in HS or NCAA.


Agree to disagree

 

This is just a healthy debate on what evidence each person uses to determine a judgement. I hope no one is taking this personal and if I have posted something that has been taking as a shot I am truly sorry and apologize.



This will be my final statement on evidence that I use to judge a slap hit attempt or a bunt.

By rule 2-51-1 A slap hit is a batted ball that has been struck with a short, chopping motion rather than with a full swing.

And rule 2-51-2 says...The two most common types of slap hits are: a. Those in which the batter takes her stance as if to bunt but then either drives the ball into the ground with a quick, short swing or punches it over the infield.
b. Those in which the batter takes running steps toward the pitcher before making contact with the pitch.

Now where I believe the disagreement arises is in 2-51-2a where it says that it may be an attempt to punch the ball over the infield.

My arguement is the hands would need to slide together to punch the ball over the infield in order to be considered as being a short chopping motion which it must be to comply with rule 2-51-1.
If her hands stay apart, in the bunting position, it would be the most awkward unathletic looking action you have ever seen.

A punch is a short chopping motion, stab if you will, at the ball and is with both hands together or when the hands are in the bunting position and the batter slides them together or when the higher hand slides down to the lower hand during the down swing and the hands meet at contact with the ball.

If the batter's hands remain in the bunting position the only real normal action would be to push the ball which I don't believe is the same thing as a punch because it doesn't satisfy the action of a chopping motion required by rule 2-51-1 to be a slap hit.





If you watched the first Georgia Arkansas game a couple days back Arkansas had a lefty that kept her hands apart and ran at the pitcher until she had 2 strikes on her then she put her hands together for the remaining pitches.

Now this batter removed all doubt as to whether a foul ball was going to result in an foul or out call.

 

My two cents:

Start by looking at the definition of a BUNT. Since I don't have a NFHS rulebook handy, I'm going to borrow that of ASA:

To me, the key words are "intentionally tapped." If the batter swings or chops, then it is not a bunt. It doesn't say "while still", so a "drag bunt" is still a bunt. A "push bunt" may still be a bunt, if the batter "taps" the ball, but I envision a push bunt as a roller just beyond the pitcher.

The definition of tap says "to strike lightly". Anything that would fly through the air far enough to get beyond the infielders was likely not struck "lightly."

The position of the hands may be an indicator of the batter's intent, but they are not part of the rule.

However, the whole thing comes down to "in the umpire's judgement." If, in the umpire's judgement, those weren't bunt attempts, then they were just foul balls.

 

I would bang her when she fouled strike 3 and didnt break her wrist (which is the act of a swing). Good luck getting sorry high school umps to make the call. i have argued it a thousand times.

 

I say let coaches umpire and umpires coach. Umpires know exactly what a coach should have done and coaches know exactly what call the umpire should have made.
But then what would the all knowing fans have to shout about and we would not get to hear those pearls of wisdom from the peanut gallery.

BTW if a batter doesn't break her wrists and the barrel goes passed her front hip is that a checked swing or a swing?

 

The only thing the breaking of the wrist calls for is a trip to the Emergency Room. Though I don't doubt you've argued this a thousand times.