Coaches and Parents, Please note: Rule changes may be expected each year. We do the best we can to keep the rules current for each season. Updates will be provided as they are known.

Essex County Women's Softball League Rules

Website:

https://www.essexcountywsl.org

Current Rules:

Essex County Women's Softball League Rules 2023

Senior Division Rules to Know

Dropped Third Strike:

The batter can run to first on a dropped third strike with two outs even if a teammate is already on first base. In this case, the dropped ball is considered live, and the defensive team can try to force an out at any base.

Infield Fly Rule:

One of the more curious and complex rules is the Infield Fly Rule. What the Infield Fly Rule does is to prevent infielders from intentionally dropping a pop-up in order to make a double play. What makes the Infield Fly Rule complex are the conditions that need to be met for the rule to be invoked.  

• ​The rule must be called by the umpire:
  • ​The umpire makes the call when the ball reaches the apex (highest point) of travel, and it is apparent that the batted ball will be an infield fly.
  • The umpire makes a judgment call that an infield player may catch the ball with ordinary effort.
• The rule will not apply to line drives or attempted bunts.
• The rule only applies when there are fewer than two outs.  
• The rule only applies when runners are on first and second bases, or the bases are loaded.  
• When called, the batter is automatically out.
• The infield fly is treated as a regular fly ball, meaning that runners are not forced to run but must tag up before advancing to the next base. 

Intertown Baseball Rules Minors & Majors

Current Rules:

The updated 2021 rules for the Intertown league may be found in the Documents section of this website.

ITBL Website:

ITBL Home Page: http://itblbaseball.com

The Inter-Town Baseball league is comprised of teams from 7 Massachusetts towns and 1 New Hampshire town. Boys and girls from Byfield/Newbury, Georgetown, Groveland, Merrimac, Rowley, Salisbury, West Newbury, and Seabrook, NH between 9 and 12 play in two divisions. The minors division plays on a 46/60 little league regulation diamond, and the majors' division plays on a 50/70 diamond. The majors' division's goal is to prepare better the young players for their transition into Babe Ruth, where they will play on a 60/90 major league regulation diamond. Each division also hosts an All-Star game midway through the Spring season. The Inter-Town baseball league offers youth players a competitive environment, but most importantly, a place to have fun and learn the art of baseball.

League schedules, standings, scores, pitch counts, and other information will be maintained on itblbaseball.com. After each game, the head coaches are responsible for verifying with each other the pitch count totals for each pitcher on each team.

Results should be submitted within 24 hours of completion of the game. In the case of a tie, the home team should report the result. Repeated failure to report scores in a timely manner will result in forfeiture of the applicable games.