score pickle

[rgoodwinco]

Runner on 1st and 3rd.

Runner on first starts early, and gets in a pickle.....

Runner on third scores without a okay, pickle continues and runner ends up on second by beating the throw.

is it scored a steal and defensive indifference?

[OhioTex]

This sounds like an offensive stratgey and double steal. Credit base runners with Stole home and second. Depending on game situation and number of outs more like a defensive blunder than DI.

[PetroGuy]

DI should not be used very often. Even on 1st and 3rd situations, if the runner on 1st goes to 2nd with no throw, that is considered a defensive strategy so a steal is scored (i.e. the defense is not indifferent, it just cares more about not giving the runner on 3rd a chance to come home).

I would score a double steal. Just remember that if the runner on first had been put out in the pickle, then the runner on 3rd would not get credit for a steal.

[Bryan D Shepherd]

Correct, it's a fielder's choice if the runner on second is tagged out.
Petro, can you give a reference as to why the runner on second gets credit for a stolen base for a no throw? I had always considered it a fielder's choice as well.

[PetroGuy]

From MLB Scoring Rule 10.07(g)

(g) The official scorer shall not score a stolen base when a runner advances solely because of the defensive team's indifference to the runner’s advance. The official scorer shall score such a play as a fielder's choice.
Rule 10.07(g) Comment: The scorer shall consider, in judging whether the defensive team has been indifferent to a runner’s advance, the totality of the circumstances, including the inning and score of the game, whether the defensive team had held the runner on base, whether the pitcher had made any pickoff attempts on that runner before the runner’s advance, whether the fielder ordinarily expected to cover the base to which the runner advanced made a move to cover such base, whether the defensive team had a legitimate strategic motive to not contest the runner’s advance or whether the defensive team might be trying impermissibly to deny the runner credit for a stolen base. For example, with runners on first and third bases, the official scorer should ordinarily credit a stolen base when the runner on first advances to second, if, in the scorer’s judgment, the defensive team had a legitimate strategic motive—namely, preventing the runner on third base from scoring on the throw to second base—not to contest the runner’s advance to second base. The official scorer may conclude that the defensive team is impermissibly trying to deny a runner credit for a stolen base if, for example, the defensive team fails to defend the advance of a runner approaching a league or career record or a league statistical title.

Obviously, this only technically applies to leagues/tournaments playing MLB rules. I don't have an NFHS reference or anything for softball. However, I think the spirit is probably correct in most cases unless explicitly different in a particular rule set.

[OhioTex]

I am with petro on this.

[Bryan D Shepherd]

I looked in my rulebook for NFHS, and it does not actually say anything about this situation. Hmm.