The Tournament will be played according to the 2010 Little League Baseball rulebook, with the following exceptions and clarifications:
1. Players may not compete on more than one team in the Tournament. All players must reside within the town boundaries of the team they play on.
2. Maximum number of players on roster is 15.
3. Adults may coach bases. Maximum number of adults in dugout is four. If a player coaches a base, he/she must wear a helmet.
4. The umpire has the right to rule on anything not covered in the Little League rulebook or in the Tournament rules. The umpire may confer with Tournament Staff about any particular situation at his discretion.
5. Teams are awarded 15 minutes grace period after the scheduled start of a game to field 9 players. After the 15 minutes expire, the team must forfeit the game. If a team has 9 players and one is injured, that team may finish the game with 8 players.
6. In order to maintain scheduling, no inning may start after one hour 50 min from first pitch. Games may end in a tie in pool play. After 6 full innings are played and the game is tied, the game shall end in a tie during pool play even if the game has not yet exceeded the time limit.
Note: there is No time Limit during Semifinal and Final play
7. No infield practice is allowed prior to the start of a game. The outfield area may be used to warm up as well as the center soccer field.
8. Home team designated by flip of coin. Bench locations: Home 3rd base, Visitors -1st base.
9. Full batting order for all ages. Every player bats in the line-up- Line-up cards will be exchanged between managers prior to the games. Late arriving players will be placed at the end of the line-up. Once a team has batted through the batting order once, no additions will be made.
10. Each player must play a minimum of three defensive innings. Innings may be non-consecutive. Unlimited defensive substitutions allowed throughout the game.
11. For the 9 Year old division only
· 4 outfielders allowed. None may be in the infield.
· Five run per inning rule applies except for the 6th or last inning.
· The 10 run slaughter rule is not applied.
12. Stealing is allowed for all bases, including home, for 10-12 year old divisions. Headfirst slides are not allowed. A runner who slides headfirst will be called out. A player may dive back to a base. Note: 9 Year Old Division - Stealing home is not allowed and only one base advance per player per inning on a passed ball, wild pitch or steal. Runners must be knocked in from 3rd on a hit, walk or hit by pitch.
13. If a player is injured, becomes ill or must leave the game site after the start of the game, the team will skip over him/her when his/her time at bat comes up without penalty. If the injury occurs during an at bat, the on deck batter will step in and assume the inherited pitch count.
It is recommended by Tournament Staff that all division teams wear helmets with protective face guards.
14. Coaches are asked to remain behind fences out of the field of play.
15. Any player who warms up a pitcher must wear a mask.
16. Metal spikes are not allowed.
17. A player must wear a helmet at all times when batting, coaching or running the bases.
18. On-deck hitters must stand at end of dugout fence.
19. No balks allowed.
20. Games with a 10 run differential will be stopped after 4 innings or 3 ½ with the home team leading. The 10 run differential is noted at the end of a completed inning, or part of an inning if home team is leading after minimum innings are reached. The 9 year old division is exempt from the 10 run rule.
Note: Semifinal and Final games are exempt from the slaughter rule.
21. Smoking is not allowed on premises.
22. Tournament staff will schedule make-up games due to inclement weather.
23. Batting practice is not allowed.
24. All protests will be resolved by Tournament Staff before resuming play. If a manager has a protest situation and allows the game to continue before resolving the matter, the protest shall not be considered.
25. PITCHING: A pitcher may pitch a maximum of eight innings per weekend.
No rest period required. One Pitch equals one inning.
Curve balls not allowed. Penalty: 1st time is a ball. 2nd time batter awarded first base. 3rd time batter awarded first base with pitcher removed from the mound.
Mound Visits: 2 mound visits are allowed per pitcher per inning. On third mound visit pitcher must be removed.
Note: Calling a pitcher to the baseline constitutes a visit to the mound..
Note: Once a pitcher is removed from the mound, that player may not return as a pitcher during that game.
26. SLIDE OR AVOID: All players must slide or avoid the defensive player. Failure to slide or avoid will result in player being called out.
27. There will be no head-first sliding into any base. If a player slides head-first into an advancing base, he will be called out. Players may head-first slide back to a base that he has already earned.
28. NO SLASHING
29. No courtesy runners are allowed for the pitcher or catcher and no pinch runners are allowed.
30. Managers are responsible for the conduct of their players, coaches and fans. A game may be forfeited by an umpire if unruly behavior disrupts the game. This rule is at the sole discretion of the umpire. Any coach, manager or player ejected from a game will also be forced to sit out the next game.
31. Tournament Staff will do all that it can to deal with games that are impacted by a no show or drop out team at the last minute. This may also impact the total number of teams within a pool. Tournament Staff reserves the right to handle and alter schedules in order to have all games played. This includes weather related problems.
32. Chanting or singing of cadence of any kind is prohibited
Finally, the Tournament staff’s main concern is the safety of players and spectators. At the Poncin Hewitt complex, there may be as many as four games going on at one time. There are many opportunities for fly balls to enter spectator and waiting areas. We urge you to caution your players and families to be aware of the fields around them. Please be certain to watch small children.
The Tournament does not provide insurance. Each team shall take full responsibility for providing its own insurance.
Officials Tent
Game results must be reported after each game is completed by the Managers of both teams. All scores and pitching stats must be reported at the tent .
Pitchers: Name, jersey number and innings pitched must be reported. Any part of an inning is considered one full inning, ie if a pitcher gets the last out of the inning, that is considered one full inning.
All results will be posted outside the tent. This is critical for accurate standings. Also, please check in prior to your game to receive games balls.
GROUND RULES
NO SLASHING
SLIDE OR AVOID
NO HEAD-FIRST SLIDING INTO ANY BASE: except player may head-first slide back to a base he has already earned.
CURVE BALLS NOT ALLOWED
SLAUGHTER RULE: Games with 10 run differential will be stopped after 4 innings or 3 ½ with home team leading, in the 10-12 division. NO SLAUGHTER RULE FOR SEMI AND FINALS. For 9 year old division, 5 run per inning applies except for 6th inning. The 10 run slaughter rule is not applied for 9 year old division.
TIME LIMIT: No inning can start after one hour 50 min from first pitch. Games can end in a tie. It is a good practice to mention the end time before the game. NO TIME LIMIT FOR SEMI AND FINALS
BALKS: Not called
12 Team Pool
Pool Play will be made up of a Pool A, B and C division. Each division winner will advance
along with one Wildcard team. Division winner is decided by record, then by tie breaker rules. The Wildcard team will be determined by the following:
- Best record of non division winning teams
- Least runs allowed
- Total differential from pool play games – Highest differential wins
- Coin Flip
Please Note: Least runs allowed is usually a major factor in determining teams that advance to semifinal play.
Safety Notes: Please drive carefully! The Poncin Hewitt complex is in a residential area that is busy at times. Please keep your speed down both in the complex and within the neighborhood. Be mindful of children.
Parking: The Poncin Hewitt lot may fill up quickly. There is NO PARKING on Oakhill Ave. Parking on side roads off Oakhill Avenue is acceptable but please be respectful of our community and neighbors. Avoid blocking driveways/throughways and be careful to not partially park on lawns. There will be a police presence on-site to monitor.
Facilities: For your convenience, a dumpster will be on site. We ask that all families be responsible for collecting and properly disposing of their trash and respecting the overall conditions of the premises.
Thank you in advance for helping to make the tournament a safe and successful event for everyone.