CRAMERTON PARKS & RECREATION DEPT.

9-12 YOUTH BASEBALL RULES 2013

EQUIPMENT:

1. BATTER MUST HAVE FULL HELMET PROTECTOR. CATCHER MUST WEAR HELMET TYPE HEAD PROTECTOR WITH MASK EXTENDER OR GOOSE FLAP, CHEST PROTECTOR, AND SHIN GUARDS. (HELMET CAGES OR HELMET STRAPS ARE OPTIONAL.)

2.YOU CAN USE BIG BARREL, WOOD OR SMALL BARREL BATS.

3. ONLY MOLDED CLEATS CAN BE WORN. (NO STEEL)

4. CATCHERS MUST WEAR A PROTECTIVE CUP. IT IS SUGGESTED BUT NOT MANDATORY THAT INFIELDERS AND OUTFIELDERS WEAR A PROTECTIVE CUP.

UMPIRES:

1. UMPIRES SHALL KEEP THE OFFICIAL GAME TIME. THE GAME TIME SHOULD BE ANNOUNCED AT HOME PLATE DURING THE UMPIRES, COACHES MEETING BEFORE THE GAME BEGINS.

2. IF THE UMPIRE STOPS THE GAME BECAUSE OF RAIN, LIGHTS, LIGHTENING, ETC., PRIOR TO 4 COMPLETE INNGS OF PLAY, THE GAME WILL RESTART FROM THE POINT AT WHICHED IT WAS STOPPED. IF 4 COMPLETE INNINGS HAD BEEN PLAYED OR THE LOSING TEAM HAD COMPLETED THEIR FOURTH TURN AT BAT, THE GAME SHALL BE CONSIDERED A COMPLETE GAME.

3. IF THE UMPIRE STOPS A GAME BECAUSE OF RAIN, LIGHTS, LIGHTENING OR FOR ANY OTHER REASON THE OFFICIAL GAME CLOCK STOPS AND DOES NOT START AGAIN UNTIL PLAY RESUMES.

4. UMPIRES WILL AWARD ONE BASE ON A BALL THAT GOES INTO ANY OUT OF BOUNDS AREA.

5. UMPIRES WILL ONLY STOP PLAY AND GRANT TIME WHEN RUNNERS CEASE TO ADVANCE.

6. UMPIRES WILL ONLY GRANT ONE OFFENSIVE TIME OUT PER INNING. (INJURY TIME OUTS DO NOT COUNT AS AN OFFENSIVE TIME OUT.)

7. THE UMPIRE HAS THE RIGHT TO CALL A GAME BECAUSE OF UNSPORTSMAN LIKE CONDUCT BY EITHER A FAN, PLAYER OR COACH.

8. ONLY THE HEAD COACH AND HEAD COACH ONLY HAS THE RIGHT TO APPROACH AN UMPIRE ABOUT CONCERNS OF THE GAME.

COACHES:

1. COACHES, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONDUCT OF YOUR PLAYERS COACHES AND FANS.

2. COACHES WILL NOT ARGUE BALLS AND STRIKES, SAFE OR OUT. (UMPIRES WILL NOT TOLERATE THE ARGUING OF BALLS AND STRIKES.)

3. COACHES YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR GETTING YOUR LINE-UP TO THE SCORE KEEPER AT LEAST 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE GAME BEGINS. THE LINE-UP CARD SHOULD BE FULLY FILLED OUT, WITH FULL NAME, POSTION, AND NUMBER.

4. COACHES, AS A COMMON COURTESY, PLEASE POLICE YOUR DUGOUT AFTER YOU FINISH PLAYING.

5. ONLY 3 COACHES PLUS A SCORE KEEPER ARE ALLOWED IN THE DUGOUT DURING A GAME. (THE UMPIRE HAS THE RIGHT TO ENFORCE THIS RULE.)

6. HEAD COACHES ARE REQUESTED TO KEEP PARENTS AWAY FROM THEIR DUGOUT DURING THE GAME. (YOU DO NOT NEED BACK STOP COACHING.)

7. COACHES, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO CHECK ON CONFLICTS THAT OCCUR DURING THE SEASON.

GENERAL RULES:

1.THE LINE-UP SHALL CONSIST OF 9 POSITION PLAYERS, PLUS IF YOU LIKE AN AH OR EH. (AH= ADDITIONAL HITTER; EH= EXTRA HITTER.)

2. BOTH THE AH OR EH CAN BE USED ANYWHERE IN THE LINE-UP AND THEY CAN ALSO PLAY THE FIELD. THE BATTING LINE-UP MUST STAY THE SAME.

3. ROSTER MAX. WILL BE 14 PLAYERS. ROSTER MINIMUM WILL BE 12 PLAYERS FOR NON-SANCTION AND 10 FOR SANCTION TEAMS.

4. ALL GAMES CONSIST OF 6 INNINGS UNLESS THE HOME TEAM IS AHEAD BY 15 RUNS AFTER 3 INNINGS, 10 RUNS AFTER 4 INNINGS, OR 8 RUNS AFTER 5 INNINGS. (LOSING TEAM MUST HAVE EQUAL NUMBER OF AT BATS.)

5. THE TIME LIMIT WILL BE ONE HOUR & THIRTY MINUTES. (NO NEW INNING WILL BEGIN AFTER AN HOUR AND TWENTY- FIVE MINUTES, DURING THE REGULAR SEASON.)

6. A COURTESY RUNNER CAN BE USED AT ANY TIME FOR THE PITCHER AND CATCHER. (MANDATORY FOR THE CATCHER WITH TWO OUTS). THIS RUNNER MUST NOT BE IN THE GAME AT THE TIME. IF A TEAM ONLY HAS NINE PLAYERS, THE PLAYER MAKING THE LAST OUT CAN BE USED AS A COURTESY RUNNER.

7. YOU CAN HEAD FIRST SLIDE AT ANY BASE EXCEPT HOME((INTENTIONAL RUNNING INTO THE CATCHER AS DEEMED BY THE HOME PLATE UMPIRE WILL RESULT IN AN AUTOMATIC OUT PLUS EJECTION. (UNINTENTIONAL RUNNING INTO THE CATCHER AS DEEMED BY THE HOME PLATE UMPIRE WILL BE RULED AN OUT BUT NO EJECTION.) THESE ARE NOT PROTESTABLE CALLS.

8. YOU CAN PLAY UP TWO YEARS. (EX. IF YOU ARE 10 YOU CAN PLAY 11 & 12. IF YOU ARE 8 YOU HAVE TO PLAY 9 & 10.)

9. THE AGE CUT-OFF DATE IS MAY 1st. (EX. IF YOU ARE 11 BEFORE THIS DATE YOU MUST PLAY 11 & 12.)

10. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS FOR THE AGE CUT-OFF DATE.

11. THE INFIELD FLY RULE WILL BE IN EFFECT WITH BASES LOADED OR WITH RUNNERS ON FIRST AND SECOND WITH LESS THAN 2 OUTS.

12. NO INFIELD PRACTICE BEFORE THE GAME.

13. YOU CANNOT PLAY ON TWO DIFFERENT TEAMS IN THE CITY LEAGUE.

14. THERE IS A TEN MINUTE GRACE PERIOD FOR THE FIRST GAME BUT THERE IS NONE FOR THE SECOND GAME.

15. GAME STARTING TIMES ARE 6:00 P.M. & 7:30 P.M., MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AND THE START TIME FOR SATURDAY GAMES WILL BE 10:00 A.M. AND GO EVERY TWO HOURS.

17. ANY TEAM THAT FORFEITS 2 REGULAR SEASON GAMES WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR TOURNAMENT PLAY.

18. RAIN-OUT GAMES WILL BE MADE UP AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE. BE PREPARED TO PLAY AT ANY TIME.

19. ONCE THE SCHEDULE HAS BEEN HANDED OUT NO CHANGES WILL BE MADE UNLESS IT IS A TIME SWITCH. (THE ONLY EXCEPTION WOULD BE AN UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCE SUCH AS AN EMERGENCY.)

SPECIAL RULES 9-10:

1.THE BASE PATHS WILL BE 65FT. AND THE PITCHING MOUND WILL BE 46FT.

2. THERE CAN BE A MAXIMUM OF 8 RUNS SCORED IN AN INNING OR 3 OUTS WHICH EVER COMES FIRST.

3. THERE WILL BE A 10FT. LINE DRAWN NEAR EACH BASE. A PLAYER MAY PLAY OFF AND CAN BE PICKED OFF. HE CANNOT STEAL UNTIL THE BALL CROSSES THE PLATE. IF THE RUNNER IS ON THE LINE OR CROSSES THE LINE BEFORE THE BALL CROSSES THE PLATE, THE RUNNER SHALL BE CALLED OUT AFTER THE PITCH OR ONCE PLAY HAS STOPPED.

SUBSTITUTION RULES:

1. IN NON-SANCTION BASEBALL YOU CAN FREE SUSTITUTE AS LONG AS THE BATTING ORDER STAYS THE SAME.

TOURNAMENT NON-SANCTION RULES:

1. ALL TOURNAMENT FORMATS WILL BE SINGLE OR DOUBLE ELIMINATION.

2. ALL TIES MUST BE BROKEN.

3. PITCHING RULES ARE THE SAME AS IN THE REGULAR SEASON.

4. HOME TEAM WILL BE LOWER SEED TEAM.

TOURNAMENT TIME LIMIT:

1. ALL TOURNAMENT GAMES WILL HAVE A TWO HOUR TIME LIMIT. NO NEW INNING WILL BEGIN AFTER ONE HOUR AND FIFTY MINUTES.

2. THERE IS NO TIME LIMIT ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.

EJECTIONS:

COACHES OR PLAYERS WHO ARE EJECTED FROM A GAME WILL SERVE A TWO GAME SUSPENSION. (THIS MEANS THE GAME YOU WERE EJECTED FROM PLUS THE NEXT TWO.) DEPENDING ON YOUR ACTIONS THE PENALTY COULD BE MORE. THIS RULE IS ALSO FOR ANY SPECTATOR. THIS ALSO MEANS YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED AT YOUR TEAMS NEXT TWO BALL GAMES.

ANY COACH WHO KNOWLY USES AN INELIGIBLE PLAYER WILL ALSO FACE A TWO GAME SUSPENSION, PLUS YOUR TEAM WILL NOT BE TOURNAMENT ELIGIBLE. (MAKE SURE YOU CHECK BIRTH CERTIFICATES.)

***RUNNERS ON THE BASE PATHS WEATHER THEY MEANT TO OR NOT, MAY ALSO BE EJECTED FOR LOWERING THEIR SHOULDER TO JAR THE BALL AWAY FROM THE FIELDER OR TO MOVE A FIELDER OUT OF THE WAY. THIS IS ALSO 2 GAMES PLUS, PLUS THE GAME THEY WERE EJECTED FROM. THIS IS THE UMPIRES DISCRETION ON HOW HE VIEWS THE PLAY.