a) Bases are 65 feet apart
b) Commitment line is 21 feet from home plate – Once a runner has passed the commitment line, they can not turn back to third base
c) Infield encroachment line is 50 feet from home plate
d) Pitcher’s mound is 50 – 60 feet from home plate
e) No outfield encroachment line – If a female hits pass the infield, she cannot be directly thrown out from the outfield at first base (she can be thrown when running from first base to second base, or second base to third base)
a. A female may be thrown out at first base in this scenario only if the outfielder throws it to an infielder who then throws it to first base.
a) The ratio of men and women is 7 and 3.
b) The minimum number of women playing on the field is 2.
a. If a team only has 2 women present that game, they can field 7 males and 2 females and take an auto out at the bottom of the their order
c) Teams may bat more than 10 people, but extras may only be added if both one female and male are added to the batting order. Therefore, no batting order will see an odd number of batters on the lineup card.
d) Teams must always have a minimum of 9 players
a. In the event a team has 9 players, the 10th batting position is an automatic out.
a) The league will allow unlimited substitutions
b) A player does not have to substitute for the same player every time. They can go in legally for any player at any position and take their spot in the batting order
c) A player must play the field first before they can bat
a. Any player who does not field first before they bat will be deemed out during their at bat
b. A second infraction by the same team will have both the batting player and coach throw out of the game
d) A male may only substitute in for another male
e) A female may substitute for another male or female
f) The only time a male may come in for a female is if the team is already fielding 4 or more girls.
a) All players are to be 18 years of age or older.
a) All games are to be 7 innings
b) All games will be 55 minutes in length, with last inning called at 55 minutes
c) Maximum runs per inning is 5
d) Only the 7th inning will be open, or whichever inning the umpire declares as last inning.
e) Games may end in a tie, there is no extra innings except in the playoffs
f) Extra innings in the playoffs will be played via international rules
a. The last batter of the previous inning will start on 2nd base and there will be 1 out to start the inning
g) Games are to be played in rain or shine. However, extreme weather stoppage will be at the discretion of the umpire.
a. Should there be extreme weather throughout the day, please consult the league website for updated game statuses.
a) Teams are encouraged to show up early to games in order to start the game on time
b) Any team that is not ready to play at game time will have a 15 minute grace period
a. If the team is able to start within the 15 minute grace period, the game shall start in the 2nd inning and the score will be 5-0 for the opposing team.
c) If a team cannot play by the time the 15 minute grace period is over then the game will be considered a 7-0 forfeit and $50 will be deducted from their team deposit.
a) There is a 200$ deposit for each team, refundable at the end of the season
b) $50 will be deducted from teams that do not show up to games. Please note that if you have a double header, that means you will lose $100. $50 for each game. If you will be able to play the second game of a double header please let the league and umpire know and you will only be deducted for the first missed game.
a. If you have missed the 15 minute grace period for the first game, you may start the second game at any time, you do not have to wait for the next scheduled game of the doubleheader.
c) $50 will be deducted from teams that break or lose equipment, including keys
d) Should your team use up all of the $200 deposit, you will no longer be a part of the league and there is no refund on your league fees
a) Any games postponed due to weather will be made up at a later time in the season
b) Teams should be aware, due to the tight scheduling, that rescheduled games may mean that they end up playing 3 games in a day.
c) Teams that did not show up for games and did not notify the league in a timely manner will not have their games rescheduled. That game will be considered a 7-0 loss.
d) Teams must notify the league 24 hours in advance if they cannot make a game.
e) While the league will try it’s best to reschedule games, it may be the case that some games cannot be rescheduled.
a) Women are allowed to bunt
b) There is an extra strike only if a person swings while they have 2 strikes and fouls the ball (2.5 strikes). Any subsequent foul balls are outs
c) Any attempt to bunt the ball with two strikes and it goes foul will be considered a third strike and the 2.5 strike rule will not be in effect
d) A woman who shows bunt cannot pull back and swing at the ball afterwards on the same pitch. Any attempts to do so will be considered an out.
a. A second attempt to do this by the same woman or any other woman on the team during the same game will result in the coach and woman being thrown out of the game.
THE OFFICIAL BAT shall be round or and measure not more than 34 inches long and
not more than 2-1/4 inches in diameter at its largest part and its weight shall not exceed 38 ounces.
The bat shall have a safety grip of cloth tape, cork or some other composite material to facilitate
holding the bat. The safety grip shall not be less than 10 inches long, nor extend more than 15 inches
from the small end of the bat. The bat may be made of hardwood, aluminum or other metal tubing,
ceramic, fiberglass, graphite, bamboo or be a composite bat.
NON-APPROVED BATS: The batter is out and ejected from the game if he enters the batter’s area
with an illegal bat. In addition, the coach/manager is ejected as well.
ALTERED BATS: Any player who is found playing with an altered bat will be suspended for a
minimum of 3 years from SPN sanctioned events. Any altered bat found before the start of the game,
and if the SPN representative cannot establish who the owner of the altered bat is, then the coach/
manager will be suspended for a minimum of 3 years from SPN sanctioned events. SPN will not be
responsible for any problems of any nature whatsoever caused by the use of non-approved and/or
altered bats.
a) Any 4-0 counts to a male batter with a female batter behind will result in the male batter getting to second base.
a) This league will be using a mat to determine balls and strikes
b) The umpire may still call a thrown pitch that lands on the mat a ball if he deems the pitch to be illegal
c) Mats are to be 24x36 inches
d) If a ball lands anywhere on the mat or plate, it is considered a strike unless deemed illegal pitch
a) A player is considered to have scored a run once they cross the scoring line drawn by the umpire
b) Any players that touches home plate or the mat when they run home will be deemed out
c) There is no tagging at the home plate area, the defensive team must have a person catch the ball on the mat or plate before the runner crosses the scoring line to get an out
a) A player may over run first base. It is the umpire’s discretion whether or not the runner has attempted for second base and put themselves in jeopardy.
a) Teams are allowed 3 courtesy runners per game
b) A male can only run for another male
c) A female may run for a male or female
d) A person cannot repeat as a courtesy running in the same game
e) Any and all rules pertaining to courtesy runners can be changed, altered, or added to, only if both coaches and the umpire agrees before the game has started or in the case of any injury in-game.
a) A mercy will be declared if one team is ahead of the other team by 12 runs or more after 5 innings
b) A mercy can be declared halfway into the 5th inning if the away team is trailing by 12 runs or more and does not score enough in the top of the 5th inning
c) Should the home team be trailing by 12 or more, they will have a chance to catch up in the 5th inning only.
a. This means if in the top of the 6th or 7th inning, the away teams pulls ahead by more than 12 runs, the game is automatically over by mercy rule.
a) It is the umpire’s discretion on whether or not to flip flop for the final inning
a) The league does not tolerate any form of abuse towards other team members, coaches, umpires, or fans/observers.
b) Any infractions of abuse that is reported to the league will be thoroughly investigated. Players, coaches, or teams may see the following as potential punishments:
a. Probation – a warning is given. A second warning will automatically result in a minimum 3 games suspension to a maximum of expulsion from the league
b. Suspension – Any suspensions given out will be a minimum of 3 games.
c. Expulsion – In serious cases, an expulsion will be given
c) Any players, coaches, or teams that continue to play in the league during their period of suspension will automatically receive an expulsion from the league.
a. There is no refund for any players, coaches, or teams that have been expelled from the league.
a) The league official stance is that no alcohol or drugs are to be permitted at the parks or diamonds during game time.
b) If players would like to smoke cigarettes, please do so in a designated smoking area, or an area away from the diamond and is safe to smoke (i.e. not close to bushes or areas that can catch fire). Please ensure you put your cigarette butts out completely and throw them away in an appropriate manner.
a) Please submit scores on our website page, www.raincityslopitch.ca/submit-scores . Passwords to access this page will be sent out when league begins.
b) Any scores not reported 2 weeks after the game is played will be considered a 7-7 tie
a. In the last week of the regular season, if a score is not reported 48 hours before the playoffs begin, it will be considered a 7-7 tie.
c) Winning team will be reporting the final score
d) If there is a discrepancy in the score, the home team score will be considered final
a) Should there be a tie in the standings between two or more teams, the tie breaker process will be as follows (and in this order):
b) Should all three of these tie breakers be equal, the league will determine a new tiebreaker method at that time.