Softball Rules
Forfeit Rule:
If your teams forfeits a game without notifying anyone, your opponent that day has the right to play one
of your future games. If this happens the last week of the regular season, your team is not eligible for
playoffs.
Amateur Softball Association (ASA)
The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) is the Governing Body of Amateur Softball in the United States.
Rules not specifically covered by CSSC Rules will be enforced according to ASA Rules. ASA rules may be
found at www.asasoftball.com.
Baserunner Interference
Baserunners may not interfere with a defensive player making a play, except when sliding into a base.
Baserunners interfering with a defensive player will be called out.
Bat List - Approved & Banned Bat
2017 Bat List - http://www.cuttingedgesports.net/misc/batlist.pdf
If you have any more questions about bats, please contact Tim Horan, Commissioner, CSSC Softball. (484-919-8547, tim@PlayPhillySports.com)
Bats
Double wall bats, triple wall bats, two piece bats, 100 % composite bats and all bats banned by the ASA
are not permitted to be used in CSSC games. Additionally, any bat listed on the CSSC Banned Bat List is
not permitted to be used in games.
If a batter using an illegal bat reaches base, and the usage of the bat is brought to the attention of the
umpire before a pitch is thrown to the next batter, the batter using the illegal bat will be called out. Any
runners that advanced while the illegal bat was in play must return to the base occupied before the bat
was used. Umpires will remove illegal bats from play once alerted to their usage.
Any player using an illegal bat may be ejected from the game and may be suspended for one game and
his/her team may be forced to forfeit the game the illegal bat was used, WITHOUT WARNING!
Any equipment in question should be brought to the attention of the umpire.
The umpire and/or Commissioner will make all final decisions regarding equipment discrepancies.
It is encouraged to inspect all bats to be used in a game during ground rules.
Batter's Count
All at-bats begin with a one ball, one strike count. A batter is allowed one foul ball after his/her second
strike has been called. The batter is out on strikes upon his/her second foul ball following his/her second
strike.
Batting Order/Batting Order Male:Female Ratio
Teams are encouraged to exchange batting orders prior to each game. A team may bat as many players
as it wishes, in any order it wishes. Please follow the Batting Order Ratio Chart below. If a team does not have enough women, one or more woman must bat twice in
the batting order. A man cannot bat twice to achieve the proper ratio. Having more women than men is fine.
Follow the chart below to determine batting order ratio:
Batting Order Ratio Chart
6 men to 2 women
7 men to 3 women
8 men to 3 women (One or more woman batting twice if needed.)
9 men to 4 women (One or more woman batting twice if needed.)
10 men to 4 women (One or more woman batting twice if needed.)
11 men to 5 women (One or more woman batting twice if needed.)
12 men to 5 women (One or more woman batting twice if needed.)
Batter Out Of The Batter's Box
A batter may not hit a ball while standing outside of the batter's box. The batter will be called out when:
1. One or both feet are touching the ground while completely outside the lines of the batter's box at the
time the ball makes
contact with the bat. Whether the ball is hit fair or foul has no bearing on the call. (ASA Rule 7.6D)
2. Any part of either foot is touching home plate at the time the ball makes contact with the bat.
Whether the ball is hit fair or
foul has no bearing on the call. (ASA Rule 7.6E)
In both situations the ball is dead, play is stopped, and all baserunners must return to the base occupied
at the time of the pitch.
The fields used during CSSC rarely have lined batter's boxes. So, out of the batter's box calls will be
made by the umpire's
judgment of the position of the batter. A batter standing out of the batter's box who swings and misses
will not be called out. The
pitched ball must be hit by the batter, regardless of the hit ball landing fair or foul, for the call to be
made.
Catch And Carry
When a fielder carries a live ball out of play, intentionally or unintentionally, the ball is dead, play will be
stopped, and all
baserunners will be awarded one (1) base from the last base touched at the time the ball was carried
out of play. (ASA Rule 8.5J)
Catch And Carry occurs most often when a fielder catches a foul pop-up or foul fly ball and his/her
natural momentum carries
the player out of play. The caught ball is recorded as an out. In the event the caught ball is the third out,
baserunners do not
advance.
Commissioner
The Commissioner of the league holds the right to override any and all league rules if he/she deems
necessary to ensure the safety, health, and well-being of league participants and the league itself.
Courtesy Runners
Courtesy runners are permitted for injured baserunners, but must be approved by the opposing team
and umpire. The umpire's decision is final. A courtesy runner may be used if a female batter, who is
batting twice in the line-up, is on base and is due up to bat again. The batter who made the last out shall
be the courtesy runner, regardless of gender.
Designated Hitters
Designated hitting is not allowed. All players taking the field must be listed in the batting order. All
batters must play the field at least three innings as well.
Double -rostering
Double-rostering IS permitted. Note, a player must play for a team at least three (3) regular season
games to be eligible to play for the team in the playoffs.
Foul Ball Outs
A foul ball above the batter's head may be caught for an out.
Game Length
All games are seven innings or one hour in length, including warm-up time. The last inning will begin 10-
15 minutes before the end of the hour. The umpire will enforce this rule and will make the call at the top
of the final inning. Because of various circumstances in most games, some games may finish in less than
an hour while others may run longer than an hour. Please respect the umpire's call in this matter. The
umpire is instructed to keep all games on time in fairness to all teams participating. Exception: Games
will be one hour 15 minutes in length, scheduling and/or field availability permitting.
Gender Equity
If a male batter is issued a walk and is followed in the batting order by a female player, the female
player has the option of taking a base-on-balls as well, unless the bases are loaded when the male player
walks.
Ground Rules
The umpire and both team captains must agree on ground rules prior to the start of each game. All
ground rules calls made by the umpire are final. All bats to be used during the game should be inspected
during ground rules to ensure they are legal.
Infield Fly Rule
The purpose the Infield Fly Rule is to prevent infielders from intentionally dropping a pop-up to get
a double play.
The Amateur Softball Association defines it in the Official Rules of Softball as: An infield fly is a fair
fly ball (not including a
line drive or an attempted bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort when first
and second bases or first,
second, and third bases are occupied before two are out. Any defensive player who positions
herself in the infield at the start of a
pitch shall be considered an infielder for the purpose of the rule. The infield fly is ruled when the
ball reaches the highest point
based on the position of the closest fielder regardless of who makes the play. When it seems
apparent that a batted ball will be an
infield fly, the umpire shall immediately declare, "Infield fly, the batter is out," for the benefit of the
runners. If the ball is near a
foul line, the umpire shall declare, "Infield fly, the batter is out if fair."
The ball is alive and runners may advance at the risk of the ball being caught. The runner can tag
up and advance once
the batted ball is touched (prior to catching), the same as on any fly ball. If a declared infield fly
becomes a foul ball, it is
treated the same as any foul.
Here are some things to remember about the infield fly rule:
It must be called by the umpire.
It only applies when there are less than two outs.
It only applies when there are runners on first and second bases, or runners on first, second and
third bases.
When the umpire calls it, the batter is automatically out.
The ball is not dead.
An infield fly is treated as a regular fly ball; base runners are not forced to run, but they must tag
up, before advancing with the
risk of being thrown out.
Intentional Walks
Intentional walks are permitted. However, if a female player follows a male player in the batting order,
the female player has the option of taking a base-on-balls if the male player is walked intentionally or
unintentionally. This rule does not apply if the male batter draws a walk if the bases are loaded when he
steps to the plate.
Interference
Any act, physical or verbal, taken by an offensive team member, player or coach, whether on the field or
on the bench, that impedes, hinders, or confuses a defensive attempting to execute a play will be called
interference. Interference will result in a dead ball, play stopping, and the baserunner or batter-runner
being called out. Physical contact with a defensive player does not need to occur for interference to be
called. Example: Interference will be called if an offensive player calls for a pop-up by yelling.
(ASA Rules 1, 7.1D, 7.6, 8.2, 8.5, 8.7)
Jewelry
Exposed jewelry should not be worn during games, as doing so may be a danger to the player wearing
the jewelry and fellow players. Such items include, but are not limited to, wristwatches, bracelets,
necklaces, earings, and other facial piercings. Medical bracelets are encouraged to be worn if needed.
Umpires are instructed to ask players to remove all jewelry.
Leading
Leading off base and stealing bases is not permitted. Runners may leave the base once a pitched ball
crosses the plane of the plate or is hit by the batter. If a runner leaves early, the umpire will call "no
pitch" the ball, including a batted ball, and the runner will be called out. If the called out is the third of
the inning, the batter will be the first batter to the plate the following inning. (ASA Rules 7.2C, 8.4F,
8.7R)
Line-up/Male:Female Ratio
A maximum of 10-players, no more than seven men, may play in the field at one time. A minimum of 8
players must be in the field to play an official game. There are NO position requirements regarding
gender. However, a team must field a catcher. If a defensive team has just 8 players, it may request the
offensive team supply a catcher to retrieve pitched balls only. The substitute catcher may NOT make
defensive plays. The offensive team may opt to NOT supply a catcher. In the social spirit of the league,
offensive teams are encouraged to supply a catcher if needed, except during playoff games. If a team
does not have enough players to begin a game within 15 minutes following the scheduled game time,
the game will be forfeited to the opposing team.
Mercy Rule
The Mercy Rule will be enforced. A team will be awarded a victory if it leads by 10 or more runs after the
completion of five full innings.
No more than seven runs may be scored in the first four innings. If the offensive team scores seven runs
in an inning before three outs are recorded inning ends and the teams switch sides.
The offensive team may score as many runs as it can after the fourth inning.
Obstruction
Any act, physical or verbal, taken by a defensive team member, player or coach, whether on the field or
on the bench, that is not in possession of the ball and that impedes, hinders, or confuses an offensive
player from hitting a pitched ball or reaching base will be called obstruction. Physical contact with an
offensive player does not need to occur for obstruction to be called. Examples: Faking tags is
obstruction. Blocking a base without the ball is obstruction. (ASA Rules 1, 8.1, 8.5B)
Obstruction calls are delayed calls and will only be made if the obstruction hinders a baserunner or
batter-runner from reaching a base attempted to reach. In the event obstruction is called, the
baserunner or batter-runner will be awarded the base he/she was attempting to reach when the
obstruction occurred.
Overthrown Balls Out Of Play
All overthrown balls that go out of play result in a dead ball situation and play is stopped. All
baserunners, including the batter-runner, will be awarded two (2) bases when a ball is thrown out of
play. The awarding of bases will be determined by the position of the runner when the ball left the
fielder's hand. The baserunner is awarded two (2) from the last base legally touched when the ball left
the fielder's hand. Whether the ball was thrown from the infield or outfield has no bearing on the play.
(ASA Rule 8.5G)
Pitch Height Requirements
A legal pitch must have an arc of 6 to 10 feet. Any pitch that is not deemed legal by the umpire will be called
an automatic ball. An illegal pitch may be hit at the batter's peril.
Pitching Position
The pitcher's rubber will placed 50 feet from home plate. While it is suggested the pitcher keep one foot
on the pitcher's rubber while pitching, we will allow the pitcher to throw a pitch while standing no more
than one foot away from the rubber in any direction, including forward. Pitcher's should pause before
each pitch to allow batters to become set in the batter's box. Pitchers may not "quick-pitch" batters.
Player Eligibility
Teams will be comprised of men and women, 18-years old or older. There is no limit to the number of
players on a team's roster.
Playoff Tournament
All teams are eligible for the playoff tournament. The higher seeded team is the home team for all
playoff games.
Playoff Tournament Eligibility
A player must be on a team's roster and have played at least three games for his/her team during the
regular season to be eligible to play in the playoff tournament.
Run Limit
An inning rule limit applies to all games. There will be a 7-run limit per inning for innings 1-4, unless one
of the innings is declared the final inning. An unlimited number of runs may be scored after the fourth
inning.
Schedule
There will be six or seven regular-season games and a playoff tournament at the end of the season. All
teams are eligible to play in the playoff tournament. However, the CSSC reserves the right to eliminate
lower ranked teams from the playoff tournament if it deems necessary to do so for scheduling purposes.
Shoes
No Metal Spikes Permitted.
Sliding
Sliding is permitted, but NOT required. However, contact between baserunners and defensive players
will be closely watched. Any excessive contact or unnecessary collision, as deemed by the umpire, will
result in the baserunner being called out and/or ejected from the game. When a defensive player has
the ball and a baserunner remains upright and collides with the defensive player, the ball is dead, play is
stopped, and the baserunner is called out and/or ejected from the game and all other runners must
return to the last touched base. (ASA Rule 8.7Q)
Stealing
No base stealing allowed.
Umpires
An ASA Certified Umpire will call balls & strikes, and put-outs in the field. All
judgment decisions are final. Any excessive disagreements with the umpire will
result in ejection from the game and/or the league if deemed necessary by the
Commissioner.