What is 'obstruction?' Why crucial decision went against Mississippi State softball in super regional
STARKVILLE — By the letter of the law, the umpires made the right call. But given the circumstances of the game and the moment, it's obvious why Mississippi State fans feel they were robbed.
Trailing by one run in the top of the seventh inning of Mississippi State softball's 3-2 loss to Arizona in Game 1 of the Starkville Super Regional on Friday, Arizona shortstop Sophia Carroll was ruled safe at first base because of an obstruction call against Bulldogs catcher Mia Davidson. Carroll bunted in an attempt to sacrifice pinch runner Guilia Koutsoyanopulos to second base and was thrown out by third baseman Paige Cook, but Davidson bumped Carroll on her way out of the batter's box, triggering the obstruction.
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"I just remember trying to go get the ball," Davidson said. "She was running right in front so I was just trying to get to the ball and I happened to beat her out of the box. It just didn't go our way."
NCAA softball rule 9.5.1 reads that obstruction happens when "a defensive player, neither in possession of the ball nor in the act of fielding a batted ball ... impedes the progress of any runner who is legally running bases on a live ball." The rulebook further clarifies that obstruction can be intentional or unintentional.
Had Davidson fielded the ball herself, the bump would've been legal since she would've been in the act of fielding the ball. But since the bunt went long and trickled into Cook's glove, the call was obstruction.
Arizona coach Caitlin Lowe said she noticed the bump and asked the umpires about it, triggering the review. After a lengthy review, Carroll was given first base. Three batters later, Wildcats catcher Sharlize Palacios lifted a sacrifice fly into center field to tie the score at 2-2 and lead to extra innings. Had Carroll been called out instead of being granted first base, Palacios' flyout would've been the third out of the inning and the Bulldogs would've won 2-1.
Instead, Arizona won on an eighth-inning solo home run to put the Bulldogs on the brink of elimination, needing two wins in a row to advance to the Women's College World Series.
"When I looked on the board, it was pretty obvious that Mia had made contact with the batter/runner," Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. "The way the rule is written, it is fielder obstruction because the fielder didn't make the play on the ball. It's unfortunate. There's nothing in the rulebook about the fact that she stood in the box for, it felt like three seconds. But once they go to the video review center, I don't have an argument or I'm out of the game."
Ricketts said she's never seen that rule applied that specific way in her 14 years as a coach or her playing days.
Since the call went the way it did, Mississippi State is back in a familiar position. The Bulldogs won four consecutive elimination games last week to survive the Tallahassee Regional. Now the Bulldogs will have to win two more if they want to advance to the Women's College World Series for the first time in program history.
"For us, all year long, it's really been about learning from each weekend and each game," Ricketts said. "We have a great example of it from last weekend in Tallahassee that we can now look back on and learn. But at the same time we've talked about that was it's own separate moment and this weekend is a new moment. We can look back, we can learn, but we need to refocus and be where our feet are."
Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Why Mississippi State softball was called for obstruction vs. Arizona
