57special posted:14u game. Inexperienced Umpires.
man if 1st, one out. Soft line out to 2nd. He catches, then drops the ball almost immediately, and throws to second. The ball is relayed to 1st to get the hitter, who is confused, and not running hard, even though bench is screaming at him to run. FU calls him out at 1st. Runner is standing on 1st, also, because he thought the ball would be, and was, caught.
Fielding team trots off the field and gets ready to bat. Finally, a coach from the other team kicks up a fuss. Umpires reverse call, saying you can't intentionally drop the ball to create a DP situation, though they were none to sure of things.
Apparently it would have been OK, if he had knocked the ball down with the outside of his glove?
First, I wouldn't use the word "catches" -- once a ball is caught, it's caught and the batter is out.
Second, the "outside of the glove" has nothing to do with this. It all has to do with whether the ball is "intentionally dropped" (as seems to be the case in what you are describing) or "allowed to fall untouched." In the former, the ball is dead, the batter is out and the runners return. In the latter, the ball is still live.
In the end, the umpires appeared to get it right -- and they were right to reverse it and put R1 back on base.
Here's the OBR wording (A batter is out when ...):
(12) An infielder intentionally drops a fair fly ball or line
drive, with first, first and second, first and third, or first,
second and third base occupied before two are out. The
ball is dead and runner or runners shall return to their
original base or bases;
APPROVED RULING: In this situation, the batter is
not out if the infielder permits the ball to drop
untouched to the ground, except when the Infield Fly
rule applies.