Summary:
A comparison of the rules for the sports of baseball and fast-pitch softball.
These two games are alike in some ways, but very different at the same time. Fastpitch softball and baseball. People generally state that they are the same boring game, until you know what they are about. Fastpitch softball is played with a twelve-inch ball, and metal bats. The distance between the each base is 60 feet long each base. From the pitchers mound to home plate it measures 43 feet in length. The pitching circle is 12 feet in diameter. At high level of play, the field is skinned meaning there is no grass in the infield, only dirt. There are nine players in the field at a time, three outs per inning, and seven inning games. Depending upon the league you play in, there might be a "run per inning" rule consisting of only allowing seven runs per inning per team and then you would switch offense and defense. The pitcher pitches the ball underhand windmill style, and in the high levels, the base runner may lead off the base when the ball is released from the pitchers hand. If that runner decides the "steal" the base, the runner must slide into the base if the ball is coming, and the defense player must tag the runner before she gets there. All pitchers must "present" the ball to the hitter before beginning their motion and they aren't allow to "crow-hop" or take an extra step off of their back foot when following through on the pitch. In some leagues of fast pitch softball, there is a double first base that has been developed for safety purposes. One base is locates in fair territory and one is in foul. The base in foul territory is colored orange, and is the base a runner should use when trying to beat out a close play to first base. This base is in place in softball rather than baseball because of the number of bunting situations that occur throughout the game. The strike zone is from the batters knees to their shoulder with the width of home plate. Fastpitch was an Olympic sport but unfortunately last year was its last.
On the flip side, baseball has some similarities but some differences. The truth is that baseball, like most sports, evolved over time. The roots of baseball can be found in the English games of rounders and cricket. English immigrants brought with them this game, which later became known as baseball. The base path at 90 feet apart, and the pitching mound is 60 feet to home plate. Men that play, use wooden bats instead of metal. There are nine players on the field at one time, and for each game, they play nine innings. The ball size is 9" and the pitchers throw overhand. In the game of baseball, the runner may lead off the base before the pitcher releases the ball, but may be picked off the base. The strike zone is the top of the shoulder to the lower part of yours knees, home plate width. When the pitcher pitches the ball, they start on a mound that is raised. A pile of dirt is compiled to lift the pitcher above ground level to throw downward. This sport is well known around the world, and is competed in the Major League Baseball. When a player is on base, they may tag up if the ball is hit and caught with out it touching the ground. If they chose to do so, the runner may lead off of the base and when the fielder catches the ball, the runner must go back to the base and hit the base when the ball is caught. When that happens, the offense player may choose to attempt and advance to the next base, or depending on where the ball was hit to in relation to where the runner is, they might want to return to the current base.
Here at GMHS, both of these sports are played in the spring time, softball for girls and baseball for guys. During the spring season, they are two sports that are most frequently watched among fans, and throughout the season, both of our teams have team dinners and cookouts together. Since the games are a like in many ways, each year the varsity softball team plays the varsity baseball team and the baseball team hits softballs and vice versa just to have a little fun while playing the regular rules amongst the game. Each sport requires a lot of talent to succeed and many people have a great time playing them both.
This is the complete article, containing 764 words
(approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page).
