1. Games will be 7 innings. A 10-run rule is in effect after 5 innings or 15 runs after 4 innings. No new inning may start after 2 hours and 15 minutes. The time limit will be waived for all semi-final and championship games.
2. One pitch or 1 out constitutes 1/3 of an inning pitched, 2 outs constitutes 2/3’s of an inning pitched. A pitcher may not pitch more than FIVE innings per game including extra innings. PENALTY: LOSS OF GAME. There is no penalty if a pitcher exceeds five innings because of a double or triple play. There is no limit on consecutive game appearances by a pitcher.
3. If a pitcher leaves the game for a pinch-hitter or pinch-runner, he may not pitch again in the game, but may re-enter in a non-pitching position.
4. Starting players may re-enter once in a game and must bat in their original spot in the batting order. Once a sub is removed, he may not re-enter the game.
5. The age cut-off is the player's age as of April 30, 2008.
6. A forfeit score is 10-0.
7. An optional Additional Hitter (AH) must be in the batting order at the start of the game. The AH is like a 10th position and may play in the field (bat 10, field 9).
8. Speed-up rule: An optional courtesy runner may be used for the catcher with 2 outs. The runner must be a player not in the game. If all players have been in the game, the courtesy runner is the player that made the last out.
9. The home team will be determined by a coin flip.
10. There are no bat restrictions.
11. Each team will receive 2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss.
12. Umpires: 9’s - 1 umpire, 10 & older - 2 umpires. All semi-final and championship games will have 2 umpires.
13. No malicious contact is in effect. Malicious contact is defined as contact between a runner and fielder where there is deliberate intention of the runner to injure the fielder to keep from being tagged out by the fielder. Runners are not required to slide, but if a runner elects to slide, their slide must be legal. Jumping, hurdling and leaping are all legal attempts to avoid a fielder as long as the fielder is lying on the ground. If fielder is not lying on the ground, all those attempts are illegal. A player will give up or attempt to avoid being tagged while a play is being made on him. No player will initiate any contact with another player. PENALTY: The player is out and if in the judgment of the umpire, such contact is deemed to be flagrant, the offending player will be ejected.

    Legal slide on a force play, the runner shall slide on the ground in a direct line between the two bases, or away from the fielder to avoid making contact or altering the play of the fielder. With less than two (2) outs, the runner is declared out as well as the batter-runner. Any other base runners shall be returned to the bases they occupied at the time of the pitch. With two outs, the runner shall be declared out and the batter-runner credited with a fielder’s choice. Violations result in outs; flagrant violations result in ejection.

14. No metal spikes in ages 12 and under; metal spikes are allowed in 13 and older divisions.
15. Due to time limits and safety, no batting practice. Teams can do soft toss into their own portable net. Infield practice will be allowed if there is enough time between games - to be determined by the field monitor.
16. A wild-card team will not play the same team from their pool in the semi-finals. A wild-card team is only used when there are less than four pools.
17. Tiebreakers: 1. Head to head; 2. Run differential (maximum 10 per game); 3. Total runs allowed; 4. Total runs scored; 5. Coin flip.
18. The highest seeded team will play the lowest seeded team in the playoffs. EXCEPTION: Rule 16.
19. An official game is 4 1/2 innings if the home team is winning or 5 innings if the visiting team is winning. Games stopped due to weather or darkness prior to an official game will be considered suspended and continued from that point of play. Games stopped during the inning due to weather or darkness after it's an official game, will revert back to the last completed inning, unless doing so would take away a win or tie from the home team.

    For example, if a game is stopped due to weather or darkness in the top of the 6th inning and the visiting team just scored two runs to take a one-run lead, the score would revert back to the last complete inning, the 5th. The home team would win since they didn't bat in the bottom of the 6th.

    For example, if the home team is winning or tied, and reverting to the last completed inning would alter the result, the game would be considered final at the current score.

20. The tournament will be played by American League rules except as stated above.
21. There are NO PROTESTS. Ruling of the tournament committee is final.
22. As stated in our application, in case of rain and the fields are not playable, the following refund policy will apply: If 0 games played, $275 refund; if 1 game played, $200 refund; if 2 games played, $125 refund.

In addition to the attached tournament rules, the 9-year-old division will follow these special amended rules:

1. No leadoffs. Stealing is allowed after the ball crosses home plate. If a player leaves the base early, he will be sent back and a warning will be given to the team by the umpire. Future infractions by the team will result in the player being called out without a warning.
2. On a dropped third strike, the batter is automatically out and may not run to first base. If there is a runner on base, he may advance to the next base except on the third out, which would end the inning. You can’t score from third base when a dropped third strike is the third out of the inning.