_14U Division Tournament Rules

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Last updated on May 19, 2019
 
Unless modified by the following, NJ high school rules shall apply.
General:
  1. Each team will be allowed to have up to 9 players on the field.
  2. Eight (8) player minimum to play a game. There will be no penalty for the 9th position in the batting order being vacant. If your team falls below 8 players due to injury or any other reason, then the game is over due to forfeit. 
  3. Forfeits will be enforced for teams unable to field a team. There will be no rescheduling. Games will be forfeited after 20 minutes if a team does not have a coach or minimum amount (8) of players. The score of a forfeit will be recorded as 7-0.
  4. Coin flip will determine home team for the seeding rounds, and the higher seed is the home team for the elimination rounds.
  5. Games will be 7 innings in length.  No new inning can be started after 80 minutes in the seeding round. The 80 minute clock starts immediately upon the conclusion of ground rules.  An inning starts immediately following the third out of the previous bottom of the inning. If the home team is ahead and at bat at 80 minutes, the game is over.  For extra inning games during elimination round, international tiebreaker rule will be in effect starting in the 9th inning.
  6. Games suspended due to rain or darkness will be resumed from the point where play was halted except if 4 complete innings have been played and a team is winning. (Note#1: if home team is winning after 3 ½ innings, then game would be complete. Note#2: tournament director has the right in the case of weather or darkness to declare a game final once started.)
  7. The “mercy” rule is in effect. Any team leading by twelve (12) runs after four (4) innings, ten (10) runs after five (5) innings or eight (8) runs at the end of six (6) complete innings is declared the winner. 
  8. Protests are to be lodged at the time of the infraction, prior to the next pitch being thrown. The manager filing the protest must sign the scorebook at that time. The Mahwah Tournament Softball Committee will rule on the protest. 
  9. There will be no arguing with umpires. One team warning will be issued; the 2nd offense will cause the Coach to be ejected.  The 3rd offense will cause the team to be ejected and forfeit the game.  Coaches are responsible for the conduct of their players and spectators.
  10. No metal spikes are to be worn.


 
Rosters:
  1. Rosters must be submitted to the Mahwah Softball Tournament Committee before your first game is played.
  2. All rosters will be available to the opposing coaches before game time. A player's name can only appear on one roster.
  3. Rosters should not exceed 15 players.  Only 15 trophies will be provided.
  4. Copies of birth certificates may need to be presented, at some point, so coaches should have them available for inspection upon request.

Pitching:
  1. The pitching rubber will be 43 feet from home plate.
  2. Managers or Coaches will be permitted (2) trips to the mound in any inning. The pitcher must be replaced on the second trip. Trips made to the mound due to injury are excluded.
 
Batting / Base Running:
  1. Bunting and slap hitting is permitted.  No feinting, once a player turns to bunt, she cannot pull the bat back and then take a full swing.  The penalty is a dead ball and an automatic out.
  2. Teams may bat 9 with standard substitution (DP/flex rule is in effect and must be declared at ground rules), Cinderella with free substitution, or match the opposing team's lineup with free substitution. Teams must declare which option to the umpire and opposing coach prior to the start of the game. Example: Team A has 12 girls and is using Cinderella batting. Team B has 15 players. They can bat 9 and give up free substitution, bat all 15 and have free substitution, or bat 12 and still have free substitution. The remaining 3 players can go in and come out of the game freely but the coach must indicate what player they are going in for and they must bat in that spot in the order.
  3. The speed up rule is in effect. A courtesy runner is allowed for the catcher and pitcher no matter how many outs. The runner used must be the last recorded out (Cinderella batting) or a bench player not in the game (cannot be the same bench player for both catcher and pitcher).

Tie Break:
  
In the event of a tie between teams that have the same record after the seeding rounds, the following tie-breakers will be used:
  • Head-to-Head (two teams only)
  • Least Runs Allowed
  • ​Runs Scored
  • Coin Flip