Rules of the Game

1. Except for special rules documented herein, we as a fellowship, will abide by the current ASA rulebook for men’s slow pitch. Home run classification is unlimited.
2. The home team is responsible to secure a field, pay the umpire and provide 2 official balls – one new and one in very good condition. Approved balls must be Men’s Slow Pitch, 12 inch, 44 COR and have ASA or SSAA logo.
3. Single games will consist of 9 innings of play. Double headers will consist of 7 innings for each game.
4. Regularly scheduled games should start no later than 6:35 pm. The visiting team gets the field at 6:15pm. Double headers should start no laterthan 6:00pm.
5. A 20 run or more lead after the losing team has completed 7 innings constitutes a complete game.
6. The umpire is in charge of the game. Protest of an umpire’s decision or call can only be made by the manager of on of the two teams. Failure to observe this rule gives the umpire the right to evict an offending player from the game.
7. In case of a conflict in schedule the Church with the conflict should notify the other team and ASA as soon as they know of the conflict sothe managers can reschedule the game.
8. CONFLICTS: Justifiable conflicts generally involve special Church activities.
   1. Bible School
   2. Revival Service
   3. Retreats or Conferences
9. The home team is responsible to notify the visiting team manager and ASA of a rainout at the earliest possible time so that all visiting team members can be notified.
10. The following reasons will constitute an automatic forfeit:
    1. Less than 8 players on one team.
    2. Not showing up for a game without a justifiable reason.
    3. Not starting a game by 6:45 or at the agreed time set by the two managers.
    4. Home team negligent in fulfilling responsibilities.
11. Any player using profanity, tobacco or alcohol will be Subject to suspension for up to 1 year.
12. The home team must announce all the ground rules before the game.
13. Dress & Uniforms:
    1. No metal spikes.
    2. No gym shorts or cut-offs of any kind.
    3. Coaching shorts (or functional equivalent) allowed on fields without restrictions.
    4. No shorts on fields with restrictions.
    5. Shirts must have sleeves, no tank tops, and be long enough to tuck in.
14. ASA RE-ENTRY RULE EXCEPTION: Re-entry is permitted per ASA rules. If an injury (or emergency) occurs during the game such that a team has no eligible players, then and only then, can an otherwise ineligible player re-enter the game.
15. All players must at least 14 years of age to participate.
16. NUMBER OF PLAYERS EXCEPTION: If a team has fewer than 12 players at the start of the game, additional players can be added to the bottom of the lineup as they arrive. If an injury occurs and no eligible or ineligible (rule 14) player in available, that position in the lineup is omitted. Line up vacancies created from non-injury/emergency situations cannot be omitted or filled by an ineligible player, and is therefore an OUT.
17. All players must attend regularly at the Church which they represent. All players must attend one service during the week prior to the game to be eligible for play.
18. A devotional time is to be given by the home team at the conclusion of the game.
19. Payment of dues must be submitted to the fellowship chairman before the start of the season.
20. ELIGIBILITY FOR THE DOUBLE-ELIMINATION TOURNAMENT: In order to be eligible for the tournament, a player must have played in atleast five regular season games. There are only three reasons for which this rule may be waived:
    1. Injury during the regular season.
    2. Illness during the regular season.
    3. Judgment of the tournament director.
21. The winning team is responsible to call the scores in.
22. Membership Rule. The sponsor Church must be doctrinally aligned with the Fellowship’s Statement of Faith and Practice. Applicants must submit a Fellowship Statement of Faith and Practice signed by the Church’s pastor.
23. Priority for active league membership will be handled as follows:
    1. Teams active from previous year are given first priority.
    2. Teams that have belonged before, but not the previous year, are given second priority.
    3. Open slots may be filled by new teams that meet the membership requirements (Rule 23).Unanimous approval by active members is required.
24. Bat Rule: ASA and other sanctioning bodies require bats to have the 1.20 BPF rating. Our fellowship requires that all new bats comply with the 1.20 BPF rating. The umpire may reject use of a bat if, in his judgment the bat is unsafe, broken, or altered.
25. If there is a tie at the end of the season, the following rules will apply to place teams in the tournament.
    1. Head to head record.
    2. If head to head record is split, use largest margin of victory.
    3. If margin of victory is the same, use fewest runs allowed.
26. In the fellowship league, we allow one courtesy runner to be used per inning, even though ASA rules do not have an allowance for such.

Last Approved Rule Revision: 2010