Scoring question

[juggins]

I need some advice on how to score this:

Runner at second. Catcher throws ball back to pitcher after a pitch, but it is a bad throw and gets past the mound. Runner on 2nd goes for third, but 2B is backing up the play and throws to 3B. Runner is caught in a rundown, heads back to second. 3B throws wild into the outfield, runner turns around and heads for third again. RF gets the ball and throws the runner out at third (to the 2B covering third).

So, the play went like this: 2-4-5-9-4.

I'm pretty sure that 4 and 9 get assists and 4 gets a putout. I don't know if 2 and 5 should get assists, because of the bad throws. Also, do 2 and 5 get charged with an error?

[StillFlash]

out 9-4 at third.

You are correct that c and 3b don't get assists because of the bad throws, even if they don't end up being scored as errors.

The rule book specifically states that a player can not get an assist when his own wild throw causes a runner to try to advance.

When the wild throw was made, it caused the baserunner to make a choice of which base to go to, which effectively is considered then a new play from that point.

[juggins]

Stillflash,

Thanks for replying. Just to clarify, the whole play is just 9-4? The preceding 2-4-5 is not recorded? Is the catcher charged with an error for the original bad throw that started the whole sequence of events? What about the third baseman for his bad throw? Is it an error if the runner was out advancing? I've tried to find answers in the rules but am not sure about it.

[StillFlash]

A fielder can only be charged with a throwing error if a runner successfully advances, or is safe when an otherwise good throw would have got him.

In your situation, the runner started at 2nd and was out at 3rd, so no error can be charged.

The previous mishandling of the ball is not a part of the play of putting out the runner - it becomes a non-event.

I did spend 13 seasons as head scorer and statistician of a college summer league and the national tournament we hosted. But, is has been over 15 years, so I hope my memory hasn't failed me yet.