These are the official rules for the 2026 tournament. Managers, please read them through and brief your team before you play — especially the new player-safety rule at home plate.
Player safety — no collisions at home
Player safety comes first — there are no collisions at home plate. Two painted lines make it a no-tag play:
- Scoring line: painted in foul territory from home plate. The runner scores by touching the scoring line. This maintains separation between the catcher and the runner at home plate.
- Commitment line: painted across the base path about 20 feet from home. Once the runner touches or crosses it, she is committed to home — she may not return to third, and she can no longer be tagged. The play at home is now a force.
- Before the commitment line, a runner may be tagged in the base path, the same as at any other base.
- After the commitment line, the defense needs only the ball and a foot on home plate before the runner reaches the scoring line — no tag on the runner.
At all bases: Runners must slide or give themselves up to avoid contact on any play. Any malicious or avoidable contact will result in ejection from the game, at the umpire's discretion. Please brief your team before you play.
The basics
- Roster
- 20-player maximum. Any change must be given to the tournament director before the start of the tournament.
- Eligibility
- All women slow-pitch teams are eligible to compete by invitation.
- Format
- Double-elimination. Games will be held on September 12–13, 2026. Balls (11 inch) will be provided for all games. In case of rain, the tournament may be reduced to single elimination.
- Awards
- Entry-fee compensation for next year's tourney will be awarded to the 1st-place team.
Playing rules
- Rules
- USA Softball (ASA) slow-pitch rules apply as the basis; the tournament rules below govern where they differ. Pitches must be 6′–12′ arc. If a pitch hits the mat it will be called a strike.
- Equipment
- No steel cleats. USA-approved (ASA) stamped bats only, per the current USA listing.
- Balls & strikes
- 4-3 count; start with a 1 & 1 count with 1 to waste.
- Pitcher
- May stand behind the pitching rubber, up to 6′, if she desires.
- Courtesy runner
- Up to two courtesy runners per inning. Any player on the roster may be used, as long as she is not due up to bat while on base.
- Fielding
- Infielders (6) must stay in the infield on dirt/rocks. Outfielders (4) must stay in the outfield on grass.
- First base
- White bag is for defense, orange back is for the runner. Defense must tag the white bag.
- Batting line-up
- Teams can bat up to 12.
Scoring & timing
- Time limit
- 1 hour & 10 minutes, EXCEPT for the semi-final and final games. No inning shall start after the 1-hour-10-minute time limit except for ties.
- Five-run limit per inning
- Teams are limited to five runs per inning, except for the final inning of the game and in semi-final and final games. The umpire must announce the last inning unless it is the seventh inning.
- Mercy rules
- 15 runs ahead in 4 complete innings; 12 runs ahead in 5 complete innings; 10 runs ahead in 6 complete innings. NO MERCY and NO TIME LIMIT in semi-final and final games.
- Tie after 7 innings
- International rules — offense will put the batter of the previous inning on second base. The next batter in the line-up will bat, with the game continuing until a winner emerges.
- Game time
- All teams must be on the field and ready to play at the scheduled time. Teams short of players at game time will forfeit the game. A 15-minute grace period will be allowed for the first Saturday game only. The semi-final and final games will be complete games.
- Home team
- Determined by a coin flip except in the first final game — the winners'-bracket team will be home. Home team is responsible for the official score. Please bring a score book.
Conduct & the fine print
- Alcohol
- No alcoholic beverages are allowed anywhere inside the playing area. A team playing will forfeit if drinking alcoholic beverages anywhere on the field, on the bench, behind the dugout, or in the bleachers.
- Protests
- For player eligibility and rule interpretation only. The home-plate umpire will listen to the protest, confer with the umpire partner, then make a decision and settle the protest. The game shall continue and, if the team wants to continue the protest, they must contact the Tournament Director, who will make the final decision. Players must be prepared to show identification if requested. No protests will be accepted for any out/safe, ball/strike/fair/foul.
- Ejections
- Any player, coach, manager, or member of a team that uses physical violence or abusive/inappropriate language, in any manner, toward another person — spectator, player, umpire — shall be ejected. Anyone ejected from a game must leave the area (sight and sound) immediately. An appeal can be made to the Tournament Director, who will make the final decision.
- Weather
- Games called for weather or darkness shall be completed prior to the next scheduled game if conditions allow. Inclement weather may reduce the tournament to a single-elimination format. The tournament director will make the final decision on whether conditions are acceptable to complete the tournament.
- Playing area
- No children are allowed inside the playing area unless he/she is a bat-person or scorekeeper.
Good luck to all the teams — and we hope every one of you has a great time in the Tawas area. Thank you!
Ashley Emery, Tournament Director
Cell: 734-678-1347 · tawassoftballtourney@gmail.com