SOFTBALL STUDY GUIDE

Positions:

Infield Outfield

1- Pitcher (P) 7-Left Field (LF)

2- Catcher (C) 8-Center Field (CF)

3- First Base (1B) 9-Right Field (RF)

4- Second Base (2B)

5- Third Base (3B)

6- Shortstop (SS)

The Game:

·  9 players on a softball team

·  Playing field is divided into the infield and outfield

·  Bases are 60 feet apart; field is known as a softball diamond

·  An official softball game is 7 innings

·  Three outs per team per inning

·  Pitcher must pitch underhand

Terminology:

·  Batting order- order in which players on a team must bat, if player bats out of order they are automatically out.

·  Count- number of balls and strikes on the batter (3 strikes and a batter is out, 4 balls a batter walks and goes to first)

·  Fair Ball- a batted ball that hits first or third base line, is touched by a fielder within the baselines, or bounces within the baseline past first or third

·  Force Out- when a fielder has possession of the ball at a base where the base runner was forced to run. The fielder does not need to tag the runner only the base

·  Non-Force Out Plays: When there are no force out plays the fielder must tag any runner attempting to advance to the next base. The runner does not have to advance because they are not forced.

·  Foul Ball- a ball that first touches an object or player outside of the foul line. It is considered a strike on the batter, if the batter has less than a two strike count.

·  Single- a hit that permits the batter to reach first base

·  Double- a hit that permits the batter to reach second base

·  Triple- a hit that permits the batter to reach third base

·  Base on Balls- (a walk)- four pitches thrown out of the strike zone

·  Double Play- two offensive players are put out in one play

·  Tagging Up: Before advancing bases on a caught fly ball the runner must stay on the bag until the ball is caught. Once caught the runner can attempt to advance

·  Stealing- act of base runner attempting to advance to the next base during a pitch

·  Cutoff Man: When a ball is hit into the outfield, the shortstop or 2nd baseman align themselves between the outfielder and the base the runner is attempting to advance too.

·  Error- When the defensive player does not make a play in the field with ordinary effort

·  Grand Slam- a homerun with bases loaded

·  2 Outs: If there are 2 outs all runners should run when the ball is hit

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