Denville PAL Girls’ Softball

Instructional Division Rules

 

  1. Regulation game play will consist of six innings. An official game shall be four innings (the losing team will have batted in the fourth). All decisions regarding called games, suspended games, tie games, and so on will follow the Babe Ruth Softball Rulebook, modified for a six inning game.
  2. 10 girls play in the field. No more than 7 players are allowed to play in the infield.
  3. The 11” Incrediball will be used for game play for the first half of the season.  The 11” softball will be used for game play for the second half of the season.
  4. The batter:
    • Each team will follow a permanent batting order that must include all players in attendance, including those not playing defense in a given inning. Players arriving after the start of the game must be placed at the bottom of the order.
    • When the tenth batter comes up to bat, all players and coaches must be informed by the scorekeeper or coach of the team at bat. The tenth batter will be the third out regardless of how many outs there are. The tenth batter will bat as normal.  They can walk, strikeout, or hit.  If the coach is pitching, they can only strikeout or hit.  Defensively, the 10th batter will be treated as if there are two outs.
    • Bunting is permitted.
    • If a player throws a bat:
      • First time = warning
      • Second time = called out
  5. The Runner:
    • No stealing is permitted.
    • Runners may advance one base on an overthrow.
    • Once the ball is secured in the pitchers circle, the runners must decide whether to continue to the base they were headed or to stop and return.
    • Sliding will be permitted after appropriate instruction has been provided.
  6. Coaches will pitch to their own team for the majority of the game.  During those innings, hitters must either put the ball in play or strike out.  No walks are permitted.  Players pitch the last inning of the game in the second half of the season. During that inning, balls and strikes will be called.  Players can walk, strikeout, or hit.  The team in the field provides the umpire for that half of the inning. 
  7. If the top of the fifth inning has been completed and the visiting team is losing by 10 or more runs, the game is over. If the bottom of the fifth inning has been completed and the home team is losing by 10 or more runs, the game is over.
  8. Each team must provide one umpire for each game.
  9. The strike zone for this division runs vertically from the batter’s knees to her armpits and runs horizontally from 3” off the outside edge of the plate to 3” off the inside edge of the plate.  Balls landing on the plate will not be considered strikes.
  10. If the game needs to be rescheduled, the home team must contact the rescheduler within 48 hours or forfeit the game.
  11. Field Modifications:
    • Base paths will be set at 50 feet for the first half of the season. Base paths will be set to 60 feet for the second half of the season.
    • Pitching rubber will be placed at 35 feet.  Do not allow pitchers to pitch from closer than this distance as it puts them too close to the batter.
  12. Players may wear rubber cleats (no metal spikes).

To make our program fun and competitive, the rules will be modified if needed. Our main objective is to have Denville’s PAL Girl’s Softball program rules track the rules of our licensing organization and have our players subject to the same standards of play as their peers throughout New Jersey and the rest of the country.