River Park Youth Baseball > T-Ball Division

2010 Spring Season
Tournament Information

The River Park Baseball division tournaments have started for some and soon will for others. Before the games begin, please take the time to read the following:

Please check the website division pages for the dates and times of the tournament games.

The Major and Minor tournaments started on May 15; the Rookie tournament starts May 22.
With 8 teams in Rookies, the teams are divided into two divisions, which were selected by a random drawing on the night of the draft in February. The teams in each division will play each other one time (so each team will have three tournament games) and the teams that emerge from each division with the best record will play each other in the Rookie championship game.

TOURNAMENT RULES: Game rules do not change during the tournament. The two top teams coming out of each division's tournament will play each other on Championship Day, June 12 at Ciavarella Field. Rookies play at 9:30, Majors play at noon, Minors play at 2:30. The two top teams in each division are the two teams with the best tournament win/loss record. Since we have to account for tie ball games at the youth baseball level, if any tournament games end in a tie, a tie shall be worth a third of a win. Think of it as a win being valued at three points, a tie at one point, and a loss at no points.

If more than two teams finish the tournament with the same win/loss record (same point total), the first tiebreaker is the head-to-head record in tournament games among the teams that are tied at the end of the tournament. If that record is also tied, the qualifying team with the fewest runs allowed during the whole tournament will get the nod. If that is equal as well, the fewest runs allowed head-to-head during the tournament among the teams that are tied at the end of the tournament will be the final tiebreaker. As in past years, we are using runs allowed as a tie-breaker, as opposed to runs scored or run differential, to avoid the temptation to run up a score and to stay consistent with our philosophy of good sportsmanship.

The final score of all tournament games must be e-mailed by both the winning and losing teams to Chip Powell at chippowell999@yahoo.com within 24 hours of the end of your game. If one of the teams does not submit a score, there will be no recourse if there's a discrepancy later. Tournament standings will be posted on the league website periodically.

REFRESHER ON PITCHING RULES, PLAYING TIME, GAME TIMES, AND MERCY RULES:
Please review the pitching rules posted on the website. Those counting pitches on each team are strongly encouraged to confer with each other after each half inning to ensure an accurate count is being kept. (Counters are located on a hook inside the door of the snack shack. Since coaches are busy during games, please consider asking a parent to take on the clicker and to count the pitches for your team and the other team.) Occasionally, there are variances in the pitch counts between the teams. We are confident you will be able to work out any discrepancies in the pitch count in a fair and civilized manner. If that's not possible, the umpire will have the final say. Please remember that the umpires are not keeping track of each pitch; they will use their best judgment, and their decisions on these matters are final and non-appealable. For the Minors and Majors, please make sure that your scorebooks are maintained accurately. If a question about pitching limitations arises, we may need to review your team's scorebook.

In our league, each player must play a minimum of three innings in the field in each game, except in the case of a game ending due to the mercy rule or darkness. This is a minimum and, of course, all teams are encouraged to play all of their players as much as possible. In each division, it is possible to play each player at least 4 innings.

No new inning may begin after two hours from a game's start time, unless the score is tied, daylight permits, and there is no game scheduled afterward, in which case only one more inning shall be played. The pitching rules remain in effect in an extra-inning game.
Mercy rule: a game is over when one team is ahead by ten or more runs at the end of the fourth inning (if the home team has a lead of more than 10 runs after the end of the top half of the fourth inning, the game is over).

On the subject of umpires, please remember that our league is united in its support of our umpires, including the volunteer umpires at the Rookie games. The umpires take all of the games seriously do the best they can, without the benefit of a two-man crew. The umpires are our fellow coaches, friends, and members of our community. Please treat them, and ensure that your team's players and spectators treat them, with the utmost respect.

PLEASE PITCH IN. Please, please, please pick up all trash while at either field (even if it is not yours) and place it in a garbage can.

PARKING. We have a dedicated handicapped parking spot (at the far right of the street front parking). If you park in that spot without the appropriate placard or license plate, your car will be towed. While parking near the t-ball field, please be watchful of others. It is a small area and we have a number of small children who gain access to the park through that lot. Please remember to lock your cars.

GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP. Finally and most importantly, let us all remember that these games involve young kids playing baseball. We are here to guide the kids and help them learn the game, not to gain personal achievements or victory through the players. We play fairly, lose with grace, and win with dignity. The players on all the teams are our friends, neighbors, and classmates.