Obstruction

 
It's absolutely obstruction and it is absolutely stupid that NCAA DI softball does not allow for a safety bag. The game is too fast to not have one and it doesn't provide any advantage to either side. It only keeps players safe. I was watching this game and it looked even worse in real time. If there had been a safety bag, they still collide but it doesn't look like something off of Monday Night Raw.
 
Agreed. I saw this on Twitter and couldn't believe the number of people that didn't know the difference between a batted ball and a thrown ball. Many people even commented about her not running in the running lane down to 1st.

Fortunately, the other half of the people understood the rule. No baserunner should ever have to worry about avoiding a defender unless they are fielding a batted ball.
 
It's a rough play and hopefully both players weren't seriously injured, bit it's 100% obstruction
 
I would call an illegal pitch because it was done by design. Hopefully the umpires weren't fooled. When the shortstop is moving directly to where the ball was being "pitched", there is no question this was a trick play. If you allow this, pitchers could start throwing directly to bases for easy pickoffs, especially slingshot pitchers.

Rule 6-1-3
A legal delivery shall be a pitched ball that is delivered to the batter with an
underhand motion.
a. The release of the ball and the follow-through of the hand and wrist
must be forward past the vertical line of the body.
Click to expand...
Rule 6-2-1
The pitcher shall not deliberately drop, roll, bounce, etc., the ball while in
pitching position in order to prevent the batter from striking it.
PENALTY: Any infraction is an illegal pitch. The ball is dead at the end of
playing action. The batter is awarded a ball and base runners are awarded
one base without liability to be put out
Click to expand...
Rule 6-2-7
The pitcher shall not throw to a base while a foot is in contact with the pitcher’s
plate after having taken the pitching position.
Click to expand...
I know some will argue that this rule applies but that ball did not "slip" from her hand:
Rule 6-2-6
When the ball slips from the pitcher’s hand during the backswing or
forward motion, it is a pitch.
EFFECT: A ball is awarded to the batter, and the ball remains in play and
runners may advance with liability to be put out. A defensive player may
immediately retrieve the ball as long as the batter has no opportunity to
contact the pitch.
EXCEPTION: If the batter has a legitimate opportunity to hit the ball and
swings at the pitch, a strike is called if she does not make contact and the
ball is in play if it is batted.
Click to expand...
I think the pitcher broke the rules in 6-1-3, 6-2-1, and 6-2-7
Rule 6-2-6 should not apply because it was intentional.
 
Not sure if softball has the rule but I would also use "making a mockery of the game" if I saw this play and was an umpire.
 
It's definitely a trick play and should be an illegal pitch. I've seen many of girls lose the ball on a pitch and it almost always happens on the down swing of the arm as they try flip their hand to throw a changeup. This girl let it go at the top and the SS just happened to be there to field it and the 2nd baseman just happened to be covering the bag. Hopefully the ump made the right call and the coach should be ashamed of himself for teaching kids such a bush league play. I agree with the mockery of the game call and might push to see the coach ejected.
 
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