During the 2025 Women’s College World Series (WCWS) removal sport between UCLA and Tennessee, a arguable play withinside the pinnacle of the 7th inning despatched lovers scrambling to the NCAA rule ee-e book. With Tennessee main 4-2 and outs, UCLA’s Megan Grant hit a -run domestic run to tie the sport. However, the play have become contentious while Grant did not first of all contact domestic plate, handiest doing so after being precipitated via way of means of her teammate Alexis Ramirez.
After a prolonged video assessment, the umpires upheld the decision, permitting the house run to face and sending the sport into more innings. This choice sparked frustration from Tennessee’s dugout and confusion amongst viewers. At the coronary heart of the talk became Appendix G of the NCAA softball rule ee-e book, which governs video assessment withinside the sport.
What is Appendix G?
Appendix G is a -web page phase withinside the 2025 NCAA Softball Rule Book that outlines the unique performs and situations eligible for video assessment. It lists 12 reviewable performs, including:
- Batted Balls: Determining fair/foul calls, ground-rule doubles, domestic runs, or hit-via way of means of-pitches.
- Pitched Balls: Deciding on dropped 0.33 strikes, foul ball calls, or hit-via way of means of-pitch rulings.
- Spectator Interference.
- Obstruction and Interference: Including collisions and malicious/flagrant contact.
- Timing Plays: Whether a 3rd out is made earlier than a runner touches domestic plate.
- Force/Tag Plays: Plays regarding runners obtaining a base earlier than a protecting player’s try to positioned them out.
- Blocked or Dead Balls: Proper placement of runners after such calls.
- Catch or No Catch: In any situation.
- Tagging Up: Runners leaving the bottom early on a fly ball or lacking a base.
Key Point: Ramirez’s motion of nudging Grant to the touch domestic plate did now no longer fall beneathneath any of the reviewable situations indexed in Appendix G. Therefore, the play need to now no longer had been situation to video assessment withinside the first place.
The Controversial Call
Grant’s failure to first of all contact domestic plate and Ramirez’s intervention had been now no longer reviewable beneathneath Appendix G. However, the umpires nevertheless performed a video assessment and upheld the decision, permitting the house run to face. This choice became primarily based totally at the reality that the play became now no longer reviewable, which means the decision at the field (which became first of all made as a domestic run) couldn’t be overturned.
Tennessee’s frustration became understandable, because the ruling correctly nullified what might have been the very last out of the sport, sending it into more innings instead.
Why Appendix G Matters
Appendix G is designed to make certain equity and accuracy in essential performs at some stage in NCAA softball games. However, its strict recommendations additionally imply that sure performs, like Grant’s domestic run, fall into a grey vicinity wherein video assessment isn’t always permitted. This highlights the significance of knowledge the guideline of thumb ee-e book and the restrictions of video assessment in university softball.
Final Outcome
The sport in the long run went into more innings, wherein UCLA secured the win, advancing withinside the WCWS. While the ruling can also additionally had been technically accurate beneathneath Appendix G, it underscored the want for clearer software of video assessment guidelines in high-stakes games.
For lovers and groups alike, Appendix G serves as a reminder of the complexities of NCAA softball guidelines and the essential function they play in figuring out sport outcomes.