Well, I just read today that the US women’s softball team snapped a big consecutive win streak. That’s pretty unfortunate, but things like that happened. But something in the article struck me as very, very odd.
“In the 10th and 11th, when each team starts with a runner on second, the Americans had two runners on each time.”
In extra innings, they START WITH A RUNNER ON!!! What in the world…? What kind of screwed up game IS this?!?
Besides being a boring computer programmer in my real life, I’m also a colegiate (and High School, and rec league) Umpire for fast pitch softball. I love Fast Pitch Softball. I think it’s such an awesome sport! Anyway, with a pitching distance of only 40 feet, and bases only 60 feet apart, you can see how Fast Pitch softball is primarily a pitchers/catchers game. As such, 1-0 or 2-1 scores are very frequent. In other words, it can be difficult to score. Especially when pitchers throw in the 70-75 mph range!
Because it can be so difficult to score, ASA/USA softball (Also the governing body of Olympic Fast Pitch Softball) has rule called the International Tie Breaker Rule. If the game goes into extra innings, the runner in the lineup prior to the first batter of the inning, begins the inning on second base. In the olden days (last year) The rule didn’t go into effect until the 10th inning, but last year it was changed to the 8th inning (the first inning after a regulation game) because it was so popular.
uh… that was supposed to say collegiate.
BTW, I like the International Tie Breaker Rule a whole lot better than the collegiate rules for football overtime. Now THOSE are screwed up!