Overview

All Interleague programs require the approval of the District Administrator. Interleague play between two leagues will be conducted at the local league level utilizing these rules. The District will administrate all interleague play between three or more leagues. The District Administrator or Assistant District Administrators shall handle all protests and other matters that require District intervention.

Interleague Timing

A regular season schedule shall not begin prior to opening days for the leagues involved and shall conclude at least one week before tournament play.

Rules and Regulations

All Managers, coaches, players, umpires and local league officials shall operate under the Rules and Regulations of their respective Division as published by Little League Baseball, and the rules and regulations of Delaware District 1.

Local Leagues will provide a copy of their Local Leagues ground rules for fields and park rules.

Team Rosters

Managers shall carry a copy of team roster at all times.

Local league will provide the District with team rosters upon request which will include contact information.

Changes to the roster must be noted and signed by the President and Player Agent.

Leagues that utilize “Pool Players” must provide the District Coordinator a list of participating players including contact information for the pool players.

Pool players who participate in a game must wear their regular season uniform and must be reported to the District coordinator within 24 hours. A report must include the players who were unavailable.

Home Teams or Host Team/League

Will provide at a minimum one plate umpire.

Will provide one Official Pitch Counter (baseball only) and Official Scorekeeper. (Manager’s scorebook is not official.)

Will provide adequate baseballs/softballs for the game.

Will occupy the first base dugout.

Will insure the field is in playable condition.

Will make the field available to traveling team 20 minutes prior to game time.

Visiting Teams

Recommended, but are not required, to provide one umpire. 

Will follow all host league’s local park and ground rules.

Time Limits

Majors and below: No new inning after 1 hour, 45 minutes. Complete the last inning. No hard stop.

Juniors/Seniors: No new inning after 2 hours, 15 minutes. Hard stop at 2 ½ hours.

If multiple games, no inning may begin after the scheduled start time of the second game.

A grace period to start a game is limited to 20 minutes from the scheduled starting time.

Regular Season Games

All regular season games shall be completed by the date listed on the schedule.

For teams not completing regular scheduled games, each unplayed game shall be considered a forfeit.

Each team is permitted without penalty two game schedule changes within a season, provided each change is made at least 24 hours prior to the game scheduled.

Postponed/rescheduled games are required to be made up/completed through mutual agreement within two weeks of the originally scheduled game.

If the teams involved are unable to agree to a date, time, and field, the District Coordinator shall assign a date, time, and field.

Failure to field a team on that date scheduled shall result in a forfeit.

Cell phones shall not be used while on the field except for a medical emergency, using the Little League Rulebook app, or scoring in the GameChanger app.

Pitching Eligibility for Baseball

All rules listed in the Official Little League Rule book shall apply.

Managers shall carry a copy of the attached affidavit with them to each game.

Affidavit will be made available to the opposing manager upon request.

Affidavits (both teams) shall be given to the Official Scorer prior to the game.

Official Scorer shall record the pitchers for the game.

At the conclusion of the game, managers will sign the affidavit of the opposing team verifying the pitchers used during the game.

Managers shall list on the line-up card ineligible pitchers for that game.

Conduct – Ejections and Forfeits

Managers, coaches, players, or parents/fans are expected to demonstrate the highest degree of conduct when involved in this program.

Managers, coaches, players, or parents/fans ejected from a game shall be required to leave the playing field and the general area of the field.

Managers, coaches and players ejected shall be required to sit out the next league game.

Managers, coaches and players shall not be at the game site while serving a suspension.

Managers, coaches and players ejected for the second time shall be removed from the program for the year, including tournaments.

All ejections shall be reported to the District immediately after the game by the team’s manager/coach and the plate umpire.

If an ejected player plays in the next game the game shall be declared a forfeit and the manager shall be removed from the program, including tournaments.

Managers of teams that are charged with a forfeit shall receive a written warning from the Assistant District Administrator with a copy to the District Administrator.

The manager of a team charged with a forfeit shall be suspended for the next game.

The manager of a team charged with two forfeits shall not manager/coach that season in a tournament/special game team, in any division. (Local Leagues must adopt.)

2024 Rules

Majors softball: There will be a five-run limit for all teams during the first three innings of play. There is no run limit in the 4th, 5th or 6th innings.

Time Limits

No new inning may start after the 2 hour, 15 minute mark. Games have a hard stop at the 2 hour, 30 minute mark.

For 6:00pm games with a late game following, there is no new inning after 8:00pm. (If the game is an official game of five innings and not tied at 7:50pm, then the game is over.)

Late games must not start a new inning after 10:30pm.

Play Time

Baseball: Batting order is nine batters with substitutes.
Softball: Batting order is continuous lineup.

Baseball: Minimum play is six consecutive defensive outs and one complete at-bat.

Baseball: Substitutions may be re-entered after they meet minimum play time and for the same player they substituted for in the same spot in the batting order. Refer to Little League rule book, Rule 3.03.

Game Preliminaries

Managers must have three copies of the line-up prepared for each game. Exchange line-up cards with the official scorekeeper, the umpire and the opposing manager.

Each team must maintain one approved adult coach in the dugout at all times.

Mercy rule applies: 15 runs after 4 innings and/or 10 runs after 5 innings and/or 8 runs after 6 innings.

Minor Softball Inter-League Rules Addendum

All cancelled games must be rescheduled by home team within 48 hours. Please notify the inter-league coordinator of the rescheduled date. At the end of each game, both mangers must send a text to the inter-league coordinator that games were played.

Gameplay Rules

Continuous batting order will be in effect.

On-deck batters are not allowed in Minors Softball.

Either a maximum of 5 runs per offensive inning or three outs will end the ½ inning, whichever comes first.

In the 6th inning, unlimited runs will be allowed.

There will be a 2-hour time limit on all games. If playing in Felton, the game ends when the light by the tractor shed comes on, or 2 hours, whichever comes first.

The batter and base runners may advance until the ball is in the infield and under control.

Base runners may advance one base on an overthrown ball to any base.

Base stealing: Players may advance one base on a pitched ball.

Players may not steal home unless the catcher throws the ball to pick-off a runner attempting to steal a base.

Players may only steal one base on a pick-off.

Teams are allowed two coaches on the field when playing defense. They must always have one coach in the dugout, and one volunteer with players in the dugout.

There will be no umpires for these games. The offensive manager or coach will call balls/strikes and caught fly balls. Base coaches will call safe/out and fair/foul.

Pitching Rules

All Teams: Coach pitch is allowed in all games until May 7th. Teams are allowed to have player pitch during this period as well.

After May 7th, the remainder of the season is player pitch.

Pitchers are limited to four innings per game.

Player pitcher can pitch to a batter until four balls are called, the batter puts the ball in play, or the batter strikes out.

If four balls are called on a batter, the coach of the offensive team will pitch to the batter until three strikes are called or the batter puts the ball in play. (Player Pitcher strike count continues after coach takes over pitching.)

There will be no walks (i.e. base on balls). (We are trying to promote pitching and batting.)

If a player-pitcher hits a batter, the batter will be rewarded first base, per rule 6.08(b)