Slide or avoid Contact

If the runner was too far from the plate to slide, I would not agree with the call.

If he was within sliding distance, the blue may have felt he should have slid even though he didn't know exactly where the ball was. E.g., the runner should have reasonably assumed a play was going to be made & should have been starting his slide.

Not that it makes any difference - judgement call.

Under NFHS rules this is the wrong call.

1st - there is not a "must slide rule" under NFHS, however, if you slide, it must be a legal slide.

2nd - based upon your situation it was not malicious contact, so there is no call.

However, several organiztions play under NFHS rules, like AAU, but many of them localize the rules. One of the common ones is collision avoidance.

Even with that said, I say no call.

From the description, this is a "train wreck"... essentially it just happens. Runner can't avoid, fielder has the right to catch the ball...

But at the same time, I would need to see the play to really say. It is a judgement call on the part of the ump if the runner had time to avoid contact - and without being there, there is no way for us to be able to replicate that judgement.