EVENT DETAILS

Readington Rules

Readington Softball Rules 2024

1. Purpose. The league is intended to be a fun, competitive
Recreational Slow-Pitch Softball league.

2. Game length. Games are 7 innings and there is no set
time limit.

3. Home/Away. Home team is predetermined and listed on
the League Schedule. Playoff Series the Higher Seed will
be Home in Odd numbered games in the series and Away
in Even numbered games.

4. Player Eligibility. Teams should submit a roster to League
Director at the start of the season via e-mail. All players
must sign the Waiver on the Readington Recreation
website. Regular season games are Open rostered.
Players must play in half of the regular season games to be
eligible for Playoffs. Teams should submit any new
players to League Director via e-mail.

5. Pitching Rules. The Arc is 6 to 10 feet from the ground.
The umpire does not call illegal while ball is in air. The
pitcher must have one foot either on the rubber or in the
imaginary six foot box directly behind the rubber. No
pump fake or juke pitch is permitted.

6. Courtesy Runner. Each team is allowed one runner per
half inning turn at bat. Any player in the game may be
used as the runner, however, if that player comes up to
bat while on base an out is recorded. You may not pinch
hit for the Courtesy runner to avoid this out. If the batting
team hits around in the same inning you may run for the
same person twice in the same inning. You may still use
any runner.

7. Official Game. In Regular Season an official game is the
losing team having batted five times.

a. If a game is called before this point for any reason,
the teams will re-start from the beginning.
b. If the game goes into 5 th inning or beyond, and is
stopped for Act of God (weather) mid-inning, with
the visiting team winning, then the game reverts back
to the last completed inning. If the game is called
with the home team winning the game is over.
c. If the game is called due to the lights going out that is
not an Act of God and the teams will come back to
finish the game.

8. Playoffs. All Playoff Games must be played through the
last out. If a playoff game is stopped for any reason it will

come back and pick up from last pitch. It does not have to
have the same umpire or be played at the same field.

9. Forfeit time. Forfeit is 15 minutes from the start of the
game. You may start a game with 8 players. If you are
the home team and you are not ready 5 minutes after the
start of the game, you lose the home field.

10. Batting order. You may hit as many batters as you
wish in the league. If players arrive after the start of the
game they may be added to the bottom of the order
through the first four innings of the game. Once the 5 th
inning starts, any late arriving players must be substituted
into the order, unless the team is playing short handed
(less than 10) in which case they can be added at any time.
You do not take an automatic out in this league hitting 8 or
9 batters.

11. Ejection/suspension. If a player is ejected from any
game for any reason, they are not eligible to play the rest
of that game plus the next one game. If the player?s
conduct is egregious then the suspension can be longer at
the discretion of the League Director. The Umpire and
both managers will be asked for an e-mail statement.

12. Equipment. The league uses Supplied bats. Players
are encouraged to wear batting gloves. The league
supplies game balls and the team should bring used back-
up balls.

13. Mercy Rule. Run Rule is 20 runs after 3 innings, 15
runs after 4 innings, and 10 runs after 5 innings. The
umpire has discretion to call for a flip-flop but he does not
have to.

14. Official score. Teams should check the score every
half-inning with the umpire to avoid any scoring errors.
The umpire has final decision in any scoring conflicts. If a
consensus can not be reached the home book will be used.


15. The Home Run rule is 4 and then 1-up. You can not go 1-up in the bottom of the last inning.

16. League fee. Teams are asked to pay the league fee
through the Readington Recreation office prior to start of
the season but not later than Week 3. Teams pay the
umpire cash at ground rules.

17. USSSA rules and guidelines apply where not stated
above. League rules supercede the book USSSA rules.