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In my son's LL game last night, there was a controversy over the score at the end of the game.  As I scored it for our team, we (Astros) won 10-9.  The other team (Cardinals) had a tie at 10-10.  In question, was the following situation.

In the bottom of the first, the Cards loaded the bases with no outs.  The next batter hits a line drive that is caught by our shortstop (out 1), his momentum carries him to touch second base getting the runner out at 2nd who is off the base and had not tagged up (out 2), he then over-throws the ball to our first baseman who chases the ball down and steps on 1st base getting the runner out from 1st, who had run to second on the hit, without tagging up (out 3)...triple play, right?  No dispute about that.

Now, the Cards coach says that because the runner at third tagged up and ran home before the 3rd out was made, then they get to count that run.

I say that the 3 outs occurred on a single continuous play and that the run does NOT count because the 3rd out disqualifies that runner from scoring.

What do you think?

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Run should count because the third out was not a force play - it was a timing play. Once a batted ball is caught in the air, there is no "force play" possible.  

 

See 4.09 -->HOW A TEAM SCORES. 
(a) One run shall be scored each time a runner legally advances to and touches first, second, third and home base before three men are put out to end the inning. EXCEPTION: A run is not scored if the runner advances to home base during a play in which the third out is made (1) by the batter-runner before he touches first base; (2) by any runner being forced out; or (3) by a preceding runner who is declared out because he failed to touch one of the bases.

 

Approved Ruling: One out, Jones on third, Smith on first, and Brown flies out to right field. Two outs. Jones tags up and scores after the catch. Smith attempted to return to first but the right fielder’s throw beat him to the base. three outs. But Jones scored before the throw to catch Smith reached first base, hence Jones’ run counts. It was not a force play.


In your case, the batter was the first out, there were no force outs (runners not forced to advance due to the fly ball being caught), and the out was on a trailing runner - not a preceding runner.

Always stinks when the answer isn't what you wanted. Just remember if the last out is a force or the BR doesn't make first, no run. Anything else is a time play, the other coach used the wrong logic too. He said because he tagged and scored, that run should count. The other half of that is he has to do so before the third out is made. Say he had gone partway home, returned and tagged, then scored. All that had to happen before the third out. 

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