Men's recreational softball exists at a number of levels and you will find these games in nearly every city in the country. Most of these leagues follow rules designed by the Amateur Softball Association. Teams use these rules in both league and tournament play to govern the games and ensure that everything runs smoothly.
Field of Play
With 65 feet between the bases and 50 feet between the pitcher and the batter, softball fields are smaller than baseball fields. If the field features a home run fence, it must have a distance of between 300 and 315 feet from home plate. If any obstructions exist on the field, the teams must come to an agreement on how to treat that situation before the game begins.
Number of Players
Each defensive team will have 10 players on the field at all times. Teams can also have a batting order of 11 players, but one of these players will not play defense. Teams can make substitutions throughout the game to get every player on the roster into the game. Teams can also start or finish a game using one player below the legal limit if necessary.
Batter Rules
Whenever a new batter steps to the plate, he will begin with a count of one ball and one strike. Therefore, each batter only gets two strikes before striking out and three balls before walking. Batters cannot bunt, cannot make contact with the ball while outside of the batter's box and cannot make contact with the ball while standing on home plate.
Run Ahead Rule
To promote sportsmanship, some games include a run ahead rule that will end the game whenever a team gets too far ahead. If one team scores 20 more runs over the first four innings than the other team, the game will end immediately. Likewise, if one team scores 12 more runs over the first five innings, the game will end.
Pitching Rules
All pitches must reach a height of at least 6 feet, while not exceeding a height of 12 feet. The pitch must follow this arc and then land on the mat located behind home plate for the umpire to call it a strike. The pitcher's foot must maintain contact with the pitcher's plate throughout this delivery and must complete the pitch once he makes his first forward motion toward the plate.
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