6th-8th Grade Softball Rules

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Teams are formed by school area and by skilled divisions when possible. 

KIDSPORTS follows National Federation High School Softball rules except as modified below. 

  1. SECTION 5/6-I: FIELD  
  1. Base Distance: Measurements are:  
  1. 60′ baseline 
  1. 84′ 10″ from home plate – 2nd base. 
  1. Pitching Distance:  
  1. 35′ pitching rubber – measured from the front edge of the pitching plate to the rear tip of home plate. 
  1. SECTION 5/6-II: GAME EQUIPMENT  
  1. Ball Size/Style: 12″ softball will be used for all game and practice sessions. Only softballs furnished by KIDSPORTS can be used in scheduled KIDSPORTS games. Each team should provide at least one new ball as well as a slightly used ball. 
  1. SECTION 5/6-III: LINE-UPS 
    OFFENSIVE: Each team will bat its entire roster present at the game. 
    DEFENSIVE: There shall be free defensive substitution. Each player must play a minimum of 6 defensive outs per game unless the game has been shortened by; darkness, time limit, rain, curfew or the 10-run rule.  
  1. Short Lineups: Teams may start and finish the game with 7 players. If an 8th or 9th player shows up after the line-up card is turned in, she must be placed in the 8th or 9th spot in the line-up. She can enter the game only at the beginning of a half-inning. Whenever the vacant 8th or 9th spot in the line-up is due to bat, the position will be skipped (no out will be recorded). This same rule will apply in the case of a team playing with 7 or 8 due to injury or ejection. Any team reduced to less than 7 players due to injury, illness, ejection, etc. will be required to forfeit. A team with 7 or fewer players may choose to forfeit the game and then borrow players from the opposing team for a practice game. This game will not be rescheduled. 
  1. Late Arrival: Any player who arrives so late to a game that she would be unable to complete her 6 defensive outs in the allotted time or standard number of innings will be ineligible to play that game. 
  1. SECTION 5/6-IV: PITCHING RULES  
  1. Definition: A single pitch thrown constitutes one full inning pitched. 
  1. Rules:  
  1. A player may not pitch more than 8 innings in any day. 
  1. A player may not pitch more than 14 innings in a week. A week is defined as: Monday-Sunday. 
  1. Pitching Days of Rest:  
  1. Innings Pitched per Day: Calendar Days of Rest: 
    1-4: 0 
    5 or more: 1 
  1. Warm-up Pitches: When a pitcher takes her position at the beginning of the game or when she replaces another pitcher, she shall be permitted up to 5 preparatory pitches or use a 60-second time limit. Following the initial warm-up, she shall be allowed 60 seconds to warm-up between innings. 
  1. Removing the Pitcher: Whenever a pitcher is removed from the mound, she is allowed to return to the mound only once per inning. 
  1. Dropped 3rd Strike:  
  1. The batter will be considered OUT on all 3rd strikes, even if the pitch is dropped by the catcher. 
  1. Pitching Violations: A report of all suspected violations of the pitching requirements must be filed at the KIDSPORTS office the following business day after the scheduled game. If a violation is substantiated, a forfeit may result. 
  1. SECTION 5/6-V: BASERUNNING / SCORING / JOCKEY RULE  
  1. Once the pitcher has possession of the ball and is in the pitching circle, base runners shall not leave their bases until the ball has been released by the pitcher on the delivery of the pitch. Runners may steal home. 
  1. Jockey Rule: When a runner is legitimately off a base and the pitcher has possession of the ball within the pitching circle – the runner must then immediately return to their base or advance to the next base at their own risk. (This is NOT a modification of HS Rules, just an explanation). 
  1. SECTION 5/6-VI: THE GAME  
  1. Regulation Games/Exceptions:  
  1. Consists of 6 innings unless shortened because of time limit, curfew or bad weather.  
  1. There is no minimum number of innings required to constitute a completed game. 
  1. If play is called when the teams have not had an equal number of completed turns at bat, the score shall be the same as it was at the end of the last completed inning; except that if the home team in its half of the incomplete inning scores a run (or runs) which equals or exceeds the opponent’s score the final score shall be as recorded when the game is called. 
  1. Inning Termination: 5-Run Rule An inning is over when the 5 runs have been scored or three outs have been made except in the 6th inning where there will be no limit to the amount of runs either team can score. 
  1. Time Limit: Games shall be governed by a time limit in which no new innings may begin after the time limit has elapsed. When a lighted field is used no new inning may begin, but the inning being played can be finished.  
  1. Time Limit: 1 hr. 45 minutes (no new inning will start after 1 hr. 45 minutes). 
  1. Tie Games: If the score is tied at the end of a completed game, the game will continue until there is a winning team or the time limit is reached. 
  1. Forfeited Games: Teams may start and finish the game with 7 players. Failure to have 7 players at the scheduled starting time will result in a win by forfeit to the team ready to play – but the game should still be played. If both teams are in violation the game will be declared a “no contest” and each team will be charged with a loss. A team with 7 or fewer players may forfeit the game and then borrow players from the opposing team for a practice game. This game will not be rescheduled. 
  1. Game Termination: 10-Run Rule Whenever a team leads an opponent by ten or more runs at the end of any completed inning, provided the minimum of five innings have been played, the game will be considered a complete game.