*** TOURNAMENT GROUND RULES UNDER REVIEW FOR 2026 ***
- All games are 1 hour 10 minutes. Game time starts at the conclusion of the plate meeting. No new inning to start after 1:10. There is NO minimum number of innings required to be an official game! No drop dead.
- 10-minute grace period in order to field a team.
- Little League rules to be followed, including the “must” play rule (6 defensive outs for non-starters), 15, 10 and 8 run rule and days of rest for a pitcher.
- The Continuous Batting Order (CBO) WILL be used. If a batter cannot bat, their position will be skipped, NO out recorded and they will be removed from the game.
- Teams may run for Pitcher/Catcher with 2 outs. Runner must be the last out made.
- Unlimited defensive substitutions! Only give pitching and catching changes to the umpire. Pitcher/Catcher rules apply as well.
- Pitching affidavits must be turned in prior to the start of the game. Failure to turn in an affidavit will result in a cancellation of the game and will be referred to the Tournament Director for deciding upon the outcome (to be replayed, forfeit, etc.). There will be no “honor system”. The affidavit should be treated like your equipment. You would not show up at the game without your equipment, would you?
- The designated home team will be determined by a Skills Challenge prior to the start of the game. The Skills Challenge will be chosen by the Site Administrator. Don’t wait to pick a dugout when arriving, the home team does NOT have to be on the 3rd base side. Skills Challenge will be used for all games including Semis and Championship Game.
- Home team will provide 1 person to act as a scorekeeper and Visitor team will provide 1 person to act as a pitch counter.
- The scorekeeper must be positioned near the backstop so the plate umpire can have easy access to them. The scorebook cannot be kept in the dugout. Once the game begins, the scorekeeper cannot convey rule infractions to the teams (i.e. batting out of order, etc.). If the home team cannot supply a scorekeeper, then a coach will be required to be the scorekeeper, positioned near the backstop. They will not be allowed to “coach” the team for the duration of the game. If the visiting team would like to help out, that would be great!
- The pitch counter must be positioned near the backstop so the plate umpire can have easy access to them. The pitch count cannot be kept in the dugout. If the visiting team cannot supply a pitch counter, then a coach will be required to be the pitch counting, positioned near the backstop. They will not be allowed to “coach” the team for the duration of the game. If the home team would like to help out, that would be great!
- Each team is responsible for the condition of the field (chalk, bases, etc.). This includes before the start of the game as well as after the game (put away bases, rake the mound and batter’s box).
- Each team will supply 1 new baseball and 1 baseball in good condition.
- Both teams are required to assemble bats, helmets, and catcher’s gear outside the dugout prior to the start of the game. Umpires may or may not perform an equipment check. Managers are expected to have inspected the gear prior to the umpires and will remove anything that is illegal, damaged, etc.
- Both teams will clean their dugout at the end of the game. Treat the field as if it was your own.
- Being ejected from a game should be considered a serious offense and will be dealt with accordingly. Your job as a manager or coach is to teach the kids the game of baseball and to be a role model. It is rather hard to achieve this if you are not there.
- The top team from each of the 3 pools will advance to the Semi-Finals. The fourth semi-finalist will be the runner-up with the best record. If multiple runner-ups have the same record, then the team with the lowest average runs given up per defensive inning will advance. Winners advance to the Championship!
- Protests will be immediately handled by the Tournament Director or their designee before the next pitch. All protests are FINAL! While the protest is being handled, the game clock continues to run.
- In case of rain or other natural disasters, such as, but not limited to, hurricanes, locusts, etc., the tournament may be shortened.
Tiebreakers
- If there is a tie between two teams (two teams with identical records), the tie-breaker is the score of the game played between the two teams (head-to-head result).
- If there is a three-way tie, and no clear victor can be determined on head-to-head competition, then: The total number of runs given up, divided by the number of innings played on defense, is computed for each of the three teams involved in the tie. The ONE team with the lowest "run differential" advances.
Note: If a team only plays part of a half-inning on defense before a game is ended, that will count as a full half-inning for the purposes of computing the run differential. - THIS WILL ALSO BE USED TO DETERMINE WHICH SECOND PLACE TEAM ADVANCES TO THE SEMI-FINALS.
SEMI-FINAL & CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES TO BE PLAYED ON SATURDAY, 04/11/26.
GAMES TO BE HOSTED BY (LEAGUE & LOCATION ARE TBD)
- Semi-Final games will be played at TBD and TBD. The Championship Game will be played at TBD.
- If the game is tied after 7 innings (only for Elimination games), the international tie- breaker system will be used:
- Each team will start the extra innings with a runner on second base
- Runner on second base will be the last batter scheduled to bat in the inning
- Game / innings continue until a winner
- Final scores with the names of the teams, runs scored and how many innings played need to be emailed to [email protected] at the end of each game (prior to midnight).
- And finally, anything not covered by Little League or tournament rules will be handled / ruled by the Tournament Director.