Have you ever played the game of baseball? If yes, you’ll discover that the game of softball is similar to the game of baseball. However, it is not as popular as baseball, and the pitch of play is smaller. The similarities also go the same way with the game rules, with a few differences between them.
The game of Softball is a lovely sport; you can see that from the various teams that play the sports and the sport banner that identifies them. Softball, like every other sport, makes use of the sport banner as a means to identify the sport. So whenever you see a softball team banner, you should be able to differentiate one from the one belonging to other sports.
Game Objectives
Like I said earlier, the game objectives are similar to those of baseball, a bat must hit the ball, and the same player that hits the ball has to run around the four bases on the field. If the player can complete this task without being taken out by an opposing player, the player has scored a run. Any team that makes the most runs gets to win the game.
Game and Player Statistics
A softball team consists of 9 players, and it takes seven innings to make a game. Every inning consists of a team that will field and bat. Innings can be divided into two parts, which are the top inning and the bottom inning. When the game kicks off, the first team to bat is the away team; they bat from the top inning, while the fielding is done by the home team. Once this is complete, both teams switch positions.
The size of the field used is not specific, as various sizes can be used. The infield consists of four bases, as I earlier mentioned. These four bases are structured like diamonds. The four bases have the following name: home base, first, second, third, and fourth. The home base is the base where the batter of the ball is going to stand. At the center of the pitch is the home plate. It is the area where the pitcher positions to throw the ball. When a pitcher throws the ball, it must be an underarm throw. While throwing the ball, the pitcher must stand on the plate with both feet or one foot as he makes the delivery.
If a batting call is made at the beginning of the game, it won’t be altered throughout the game. If a fielder grabs a batsman and the ball doesn’t bounce, the batsman will be given out. If the batsman misses the ball for three consecutive times, that should lead to a strike, which means he’s also given out. A batsman can be moved to the first base; however, this can only be possible when the pitcher doesn’t get the ball into the strike area four consecutive times with no stroke created. Regarding the strike area, even though softball is similar to baseball, their strike areas differ. The strike area for softball is broader in size than the strike area for baseball.
One of the fascinating parts of this game is that the teams can comprise both male and female. Any inning completed by a team results in a switch between both teams playing the game. If the fielding team can take out three players from the batting team, it results in a complete inning.
Scoring in the Game
A batsman can score a run once he can hit the ball accurately and go around all four bases without being caught by a fielder, which will lead to giving out. So if a batsman can evade being given out after completing his run, he scores a run. However, it’s also possible for a batsman to score a run without getting to the home plate. All the batsman has to do is to get to a player that is positioned on one of the home bases.
The Game Decider
The game decider comes after the seven innings. The team that scores the most runs at the end of the games is the winner. Once a tie occurs at the end of the seven innings, an additional inning will be introduced to decide the game’s winner.
Conclusion
The game of softball is an exciting one. It’s no surprise why fans come out in numbers with their softball banner design to support their favorite teams at softball games. With the detailed explanations about the game of softball in this article, I hope you have been well enlightened on what the game of softball is all about.