For the first time in most people's memory, a WIAA tournament game was played on a Sunday. New Lisbon nipped Belmont 1-0 in Boscobel.
So the entire WIAA State Tournament field is set. The games are scheduled. The 20 teams will continue to practice, a maybe, just maybe some other teams will play some makeup games this week. Perhaps but highly unlikely.
I'd be interested in knowing just how many makeup games actually did get played after the timeline to do so was extended by governing body. There very may well have been some but I haven't heard of any. Send me those results if you know of them.
Here is a refresher in Rule 2-36 just to ensure that everyone understands the correct wording and hopefully can interpret the rule when it occurs.
Rule 2, Section 36 Obstruction (Defense)
Obstruction is the act of the defensive team member that hinders or impedes a batter's attempt to make contact with a pitched ball or that impedes the progress of a runner or batter-runner who is legally running the bases, unless the fielder is in possession of the ball or is making the initial play on a batted ball. The act may be intentional or unintentional, physical or verbal.
That's pretty easy to understand. The rule does not include the words, "or about to catch a thrown ball." Batted balls and thrown balls are two different factors/issues. The definition of "hinders" from Merriam Webster's Desk Dictionary, copyrighted in 1995 states: 1: to impede the progress of 2: to hold back syn obstruct, block, bar, impede. With that definition of hinder in mind, it should be easy to understand then, that a defensive player, according to rule, may not, can not legally block a base runner's path to a base or home plate.
For the complete WIAA tournament schedule just go to the WIAA website at www.wiaawi.org and check it out.
I'll be there covering the tournament for this website and for the wissports.net softbal site. Say hello, shout at me, stop me and we can chat.
Keep it Rising!
Bob
