Rules

Rules

Game Day

Pre-Game

Due to the need to fit so many games on very few diamonds, there will not be time for official batting practice on the actual diamonds. Each team will be allowed 10 minutes on the diamond for infield/outfield drills before their first game of the day. At any other time, teams will have to make use of playing fields adjacent to the baseball diamonds for their pre-game drills, provided that such drills do not interfere with other users of the park.  If there is time for pre-game drills on the main diamond between games, the team which has not played in the earlier game(s) will be given priority.

Game Balls

Game balls will be provided by the Organisers.

Umpires

All HSL games will have a plate umpire provided by the Organisers. Some games may also have base umpire(s), subject to availability.

Scorers

Teams must keep track of the score and report it to the Organisers at the end of the game.

League Rules

The following rules shall apply to this competition:

  1. Postponements.  Any games which are postponed due to bad weather or other reasons will not be rescheduled, unless the teams concerned agree to make their own arrangements to do so;
  2. Resolving Ties in League Standings.  In the event of two or more teams finishing in a tie, either by virtue of identical win-loss records or where teams have played an unequal number of games but the “Games Behind” difference between them is zero, the tie would be broken by using the following criteria in the order given:
    • The head-to-head results between the tied teams should be used to establish placings;
    • If still tied, the team that has conceded the fewest runs in games between or among the tied teams is placed first, the team that has conceded the next fewest number of runs in those games is placed second, and so on;
    • If still tied, then the number of runs per game conceded by the tied teams across the whole of the competition should be used to determine placings.
    • If still tied, the tie would be broken by a toss of a coin.
  3. Reporting Final Scores.  The two teams in every game are each required to submit the final scores by email to the League Organisers by midnight on the Monday following the game. 
  4. Pitching Restrictions. No pitching restrictions shall apply, other than those applicable to youth payers.
  5. Permitted Bats. Teams are allowed to use only bats which are legal in the league which they play in. For example, U19 or U17 teams which are allowed to use metal bats in their league can use metal bats in HSL games).
  6. Rolling Substitutions. To accommodate the preparations of teams for the upcoming season, teams will be allowed to make “rolling substitutions” (i.e. players allowed to go in and out of a game).  Upon re-entry players shall return to the line up in their original place in the batting order.
  7. Designated Hitter Rule. Designated Hitter shall be allowed in accordance with BBF rules.
  8. Rules Applicable to Timed Games. If a game is designated as a “timed game”, at the start of the game the umpire will inform both managers the time at which the game will finish. Umpires will be the official timekeepers of all games. No new innings shall start within 10 minutes of the predefined game finish time. If the predefined game finish time is reached, the umpire will allow this inning to be completed.  This inning will be treated as the final inning with all the implied conditions including: (i) the bottom of this final inning will be played only if the visitors are leading or the game is tied in the middle of this final inning; (ii) if the visitors are in the lead in the middle of this final inning, but the home team takes the lead in the bottom of the inning, the game will end as soon as the home team takes the lead and this will be the final play and the final score.  If the score is level after completing this final inning, then a count back to the last inning in which one of the teams was in the lead will be taken as the final game score.  If still level, the game will be recorded as a tie.
  9. MLB Rules. Any other aspects not covered here shall be regulated in accordance with the current edition of MLB Rules and Regulations as it appears on the MLB website.
  10. Disputes. Any disputes over scores will be ruled by the League Organizers, whose decision will be final.