St. Joe’s Softball Tournament – Rules and Guidelines
1) All games are to be a maximum of 7 innings. If 7 innings have not been completed, no
new inning should start after 60 minutes of game time. Any inning starting before 60
minutes of game time can be completed.
2) Teams pitch to their own batters. A maximum of 3 pitches per batter. If the third pitch is
not put in play by the batter, the batter will be called out.
a. a foul ball on the third pitch still results in the batter being called out
b. If a ball in play hits the pitcher it is considered a strike and counts as one of the
three pitches
i. If the ball hits the pitcher on the third pitch, the batter will be called out.
c. If a ball in play hits the pitching screen, it is considered a strike and counts as one
of the three pitches
i. If the ball hits the pitching screen on the third pitch, the batter will be
called out.
3) 6 run maximum per inning, no maximum in the last inning
4) Teams must have a minimum of 3 players of each gender on the field at all times. If a
team is short a female player (2 vs. 3 females), when the space for the missing female
comes up in the batting line up, it will be counted as an out. They will need to play one
player short in the field.
5) There must be a minimum of 1 woman at bat for every 2 men at bat (even if a woman
bats twice in the same order). However, if there are more females than a 2:1 ratio, the
team should follow a standard batting order with no more than 2 males in a row.
Essentially, everyone on the team has to bat before a male hits for the 2nd time.
6) If the home team is winning, they should still take their at bats in the bottom half of the
inning as run differential may be used as a tie-breaker.
7) No stealing or lead-offs - on a swing and miss. A player can be given a warning, but if
they lead off again, they will be called out.
8) No sliding under any circumstances. Anyone sliding will be called out.
9) Team captains will be responsible for deciding which team takes the field first. The
winning captain can decided to be the “home” or “away” team. In order to do this, they
can:
a. Flip a coin
b. Play rock, paper, scissors etc.
10) There is no minimum distance for a batted ball to count as live (e.g. if a batted ball does
not reach the pitcher, it is still a live ball) as long as it is a full swing.
11) Since there is no minimum distance for a batted ball, there is no minimum distance for
the infielders to start. (i.e. they do not have to be behind the baseline)
12) There can only be four players defending in the infield (1st baseman, 2nd baseman, 3rd
baseman and Shortstop). Any rovers must play in the outfield, and cannot enter the
infield until the ball has been hit.
13) To avoid collisions, runners must tag the safety base at first base, and cannot touch the
home plate (runners must run past home plate). To get a runner out at home plate, the
catcher must have the ball and one foot on home plate before the runner crosses the
extended line passing from the 1st base line past home plate. If the runner touches
home plate, it is an out.
14) Fielders cannot block the base path from oncoming runners. If a fielder is in the base
path and not making a play on the ball, the runner will automatically be rewarded the
next base.
15) A commitment line must be marked halfway between 3rd base and home plate. Once
the base runner has passed the line he or she must continue on to home.
16) A batter needing a pinch runner must “declare” themselves when they step up to bat.
The batter can only go as far as first base (unless a homerun is hit over the fence) and
then can be replaced by the last person to get out of the same gender.
17) For a foul pop up to the catcher, the ball must go a minimum of 10 feet for the catch to
count as an out. If it is below 10 feet, it is a foul ball.
18) All bats must be ASA, ISF or USSSA approved and follow the rules based on Slo-Pitch
Ontario. If a batter uses an illegal bat, they will be called out.
To help ensure that this event raises as much as possible for our Hospital, we have decided to
run this friendly tournament by self-officiating our games. In order to make this process easier,
please use the following guidelines:
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The team at bat should provide a first base and third base coach (who can act as
an umpire) to call outs
The catcher should call fair/foul balls as they have the best view.
The pitcher is responsible for calling outs at 2nd base and home plate
Please remember that this is a friendly tournament. Players and teams need to be honest with
the calls in question and make a fair decision. If a situation arises where the team captains
cannot agree on a call, please flip a coin to arbitrarily settle the disagreement.