9U Rules

Roster Composition

• Single Community Tournament w/ 75% of teams’ players from within the league the team is from

• Teams may roster up to 14 players

• A completed roster form should be submitted to the age group rep when rules are provided.  

  • All eligible players must appear on the roster form

• A player not listed on the roster form will not be eligible to play in the tournament

Player Age

• Age determination for the tournament will be as of May 1

• Managers are asked to bring copies of all players’ birth certificates and to have them available in the event of a protest

• If an over-age  player is found to have played, your team will forfeit the game in question and the player will  be declared ineligible for the remainder of the tournament

Tournament Format

• The tournament will consist of an opening-round of pool play games on Friday and Saturday followed by championship brackets on Sunday

  • All games will be scheduled at 6 innings in length

• Inclement weather may force some opening-round games to be played on Sunday

• Weather permitting, all teams will play a minimum of 3 games

• Every effort will be made to play the tournament, but should inclement weather force cancellation of all or a portion of the tournament, refunds will be given on the following basis: 

  • 0 games played – $400 refund 

  • 1 game played – $250 refund 

  • 2 game played – no refund

Championship Round Seeding

• Seeding for the championship round will be as follows: 

  1. Points system (win = 2 points, loss = 0 points, tie = 1 point)

  2. Runs against

  3. Runs for 

  4. Run differential  

  5. Coin flip

• Higher seeds will be the home team during championship round

Protests

• The tournament director or his representative(s) will rule on all protests, which must be made immediately

• There will be no post-game protests

Weather/Darkness Clauses

• For weather/darkness, game results will be official after the completion of 3 innings (2½ if the home team is ahead)

• Games which are not yet official but halted due to inclement weather or darkness will be considered “suspended” and resumed at the earliest possible opportunity

Score Reporting/Verification

• Head coaches are responsible for reporting the final score of their games to their respective age-level tournament representative upon conclusion of the game

• All results will be verified by the game umpires

Time Limit

• Pool Play Games

  • No new inning can be started after 1 hour and 45 minutes

  • 2 hour hard stop

    • In cases of a hard stop - game reverts back to the last inning unless the home team is up to bat and winning.  

• Championship Rounds

  • No new inning can be started after 1 hour and 45 minutes

  • The current inning can be completed

  • THESE RULES  WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED.  

• A Stop watch will be started upon first throw for all games

  • The stop watch will be monitored by the umpires and all time decisions will be made by the umpires

  • The timing is NON-NEGOTIABLE

Game Start

• All teams should be present and READY TO PLAY 30 minutes prior to their scheduled game  time

• Games may be started early at the discretion of the tournament director due to weather conditions and/or darkness

Eligible Player Availability

• A team must have at least 8 eligible players to begin a game

  • If a team cannot field 8 eligible players, the team must forfeit that game

  • If a team falls below 8 eligible players during a game the team must forfeit the game

Mercy Rule

• 15-run mercy rule after 3 full innings, 10-run mercy rule after 4 full innings 

  • In either scenario, if the home team is behind they will receive their at bats in the bottom half of the inning and may extend the game if the score no longer meets the mercy rule threshold at the conclusion of the inning

Scoring Limit

• 5 runs per inning limit 

  • Rule does not apply in the last inning

  • The play that allows 5th run can continue and all runs count until play is stopped 

• Example: 5th run is on 3rd base with bases loaded and the batter hits a double - All runs count that cross home plate until play has stopped

Advancement of Baserunners

• On passed balls runners can advance one base only

Dropped 3rd Strike

• No dropped 3rd strike

Batting Order

• Teams may have anywhere from 9 batters up to the whole roster batting

  • No designated hitter

• All players starting in the lineup but not in the field are extra hitters (EH) which are considered defensive starters for substitution purposes.

• When a team chooses to bat the entire lineup, each player is considered a starter and the team has free defensive substitution for that game

• If a player is injured during the game in which a team is batting the entire lineup, their spot in the lineup is skipped with no penalty

  • Once the spot in the lineup is skipped due to an injury, the injured player is not eligible to return to the game in any capacity

Bat Rule

• USSSA or USA bats are acceptable

Base Running

• Little League rules apply

• Courtesy runner is allowed for the catcher only when there are 2 outs

  • Courtesy runner must be the player who made the last out

Pitcher Usage Rules

• 6 innings max per game/6 innings max per day

  • Once a pitcher is removed that player cannot return to the mound. 

  • If a team pitches a pitcher more than 6 innings per day the team will be disqualified

• 8 innings maximum for the entire tournament

  • If a team pitches a pitcher more than 8 innings for the tournament the team will be disqualified

  • Pitcher forms need to be filled out and turned in after each game

• One pitch thrown in an inning will be considered an inning thrown

• There is no restriction on pitchers moving to catcher or vice versa

Tie Breakers

• Pool play games

  • Can end in a tie after six innings

  • Extra innings may be played as long as the time limit has not expired. Pool play games can end in a tie

• Playoff/bracket game

  • If the game ends in a tie after six innings - up to two extra innings will be played

    • If there is still a tie at the end of the 8th inning, the top of the next inning and each half inning thereafter will start with a runner on second base until there is a winner at the end of a completed inning

    • The batter who leads off an inning shall continue to be the batter who would lead off the inning in the absence of this extra-inning rule. The runner on second base shall be the player in the batting order immediately preceding the batter who leads off the inning.

Other Rules

• Any rules not covered in the tournament rules are enforced through the current year Little League Rule Book

Dugout Determination

• Pool Play

  • First Team Listed - First Base Side, 

  • Second Team Listed - Third Base Side

  • The team traveling furthest from the tournament will call the toss 

• Bracket play

  • Home teams will be the higher seed  

  • Away Team - First Base Side

  • Home Team - Third Base Side

Umpire Priority

• Umpires have final call

Other Important Information

• Field Use

  • Only scheduled teams are permitted on the fields. 

  • No other individuals are permitted on the field

    • This includes before, during and after scheduled games.    

• The Franklin Little League complex does not permit the following:

  • Pets, grills, alcohol, firearms, private golf carts, camping or overnight parking of RV’s.

• There is limited seating on each field

• There is a full-service concession stand

• Indoor and port-a-john bathrooms are available

• Managers and coaches are asked to please help keep their fans courteous and respectful

  • Please remember that the games are for the kids, not the adults, and the expectation is that each adult sets a positive example for the players through their words and actions

  • Everyone that attends the tournament is expected to act in a positive manner, no matter the outcome of a play, call  by an umpire, or the game itself