(Revised 3/10/04)
1. Golden Girls exists to foster physical fitness, recreational activities, fun and fellowship through active participation in sports.
2. Inform your team manager or assistant manager when you cannot attend a game.
3. Be ready to play. When next up to bat or “on deck” move to the designated “on deck” area. The “on deck” batter is also responsible for removing from play the bat from the previous batter.
4. The home team is responsible for bringing the mats and one new ball for a game. Managers should designate someone to bring the equipment if they cannot attend. The home team is also responsible for drawing the Commitment Line and the Starting Line. The home team will keep the official game scorebook and the winner of the game will report the score to the VP of Operations.
5. Do not wear jewelry - leave it at home.
6. Karat Patch is a team that emphasizes basic skills and fundamentals. It also serves as a rehabilitation opportunity for injured players to re-enter softball. Any player may request to move to the Karat Patch team because of injury or to improve their skills. Conversely, any player may request to be reassigned from Karat Patch to another league team.
7. On Saturdays, Karat Patch and their opponent team will merge and then the respective managers will divide them into two teams. Karat Patch batters will come to the plate every other time.
Rules of Play
1. On Saturdays when double headers are played, games will last one hour and fifteen minutes. The first game will be 9:00am-10:15am and the second game will be 10:30am – 11:45am. Weekday games will begin at 6:00pm and end at one hour and 15 minutes or until called by umpire because of darkness, rain, etc
2. There must be a minimum of eight players from your own team to start a game. Less than eight players will result in a forfeit. Teams will have ten minutes (from designated starting time) until a forfeit is declared.
3. Borrowing players is allowed from the opposing team only. Try to give the manager of this team advance notice if possible.
4. All players will bat.
5. Everyone will play in the field a minimum of three innings if time allows.
6. There are 2 lines used for Senior Play:
a. Commitment Line: A Commitment Line is a line drawn midway between 3rd and home plate. Runners stepping on or over this line are then committed to continue running to home plate. Runners may not return to 3rd base after stepping on or crossing the line and will be called out if they do so.
b. Starting Line: When a batter is unable to run to first base, a courtesy runner will be allowed to run from home plate for her. The umpire will designate this line six feet from home plate as an extension of the third base line.
1. First Base Mat: For a one-base hit or for a defensive play at first, the runner must touch the mat while a defensive player must touch the base. A runner touching the base instead of the mat may be called out. The runner will be called safe if the defensive player touches the mat instead of the base.
2. No overrunning of second and third bases; sliding is optional.
3. There will be a scoring plate, eight feet from the left side of home plate on an extension of the first base line. On a non-force play, if the catcher touches home plate (not black mat) with the ball in hand before the runner touches the scoring plate after stepping on or crossing the commitment line, the runner is out. The runner may NOT be tagged out once she has stepped on or crossed the commitment line.
4. Home Plate Mat: This mat is for pitching only. If the proper pitching arc is thrown and the pitched ball touches home plate or any part of the home plate mat, it is called a strike.
5. The pitching arc is a least six feet but no greater than twelve feet from the ground.
6. Daytime and spring evening games:
I. A courtesy foul will be allowed with two strikes on the batter. A second foul will be the third strike.
II. Only three walks per inning are allowed. Subsequent batters must hit the ball to get on base.
1. Fall evening games:
III. No courtesy foul will be allowed. A foul on the third strike is an out.
IV. Only two walks per inning are allowed. Subsequent batters must hit the ball to get on base.
1. Five Run Rule: A team may score no more than five runs in each inning except the last inning. In the last inning there is no limit to the runs a team may score; the team in the field must get three outs. The team managers MUST designate the final inning BEFORE it begins. If the last inning cannot be completed, then the score reverts back to that of the previous inning.
2. Players are encouraged to run for themselves and courtesy runners provided only if players are physically unable to run. Players unable to run may have a runner from home.
a. A courtesy runner must be the most recent out in the current inning, or the last batter from the previous inning, whether out or not. An out will be counted against the batting team if a courtesy runner misses her turn at bat because she is on base.
b. In the first inning with no outs and a courtesy runner is needed, the runner will be the last person in the batting order that is able to run for herself.
c. A player can only be a courtesy runner once per inning.
1. Blood Rule: A player who is injured and has flowing blood must leave the field until the bleeding is stopped. If blood is on clothing, those clothes must be changed
Field Specific Rules
a. Parking is limited at both Olney and Meadow Lane. Please be thoughtful of area residents. We cannot park in the church parking lot on Saturdays.
b. Olney #2: If an otherwise fair ball goes into the trees, it is a ground rule double. If it goes into the creek or beyond in right field on a definite fly, it is a home run.
c. Olney #1: If an otherwise fair ball hits the trees and drops in front of the fence, it is a ground rule double. If it goes over the fence on the fly, it is a home run. A ball rolling beyond the fence is a ground rule double.
d. Meadow Lane: A ball, which is hit into the street , or onto the hill in left field or into the trees, whether it flies, bounces, or is a ground ball, will be considered a homerun.