Know the game before you play it. NSWL runs a tight ship — read up before August 8th.
General Rules
3 strikes and 4 balls per at-bat.
3 outs per inning.
A strike is: hitting the rectangle strike zone, a swing and miss, or a foul ball.
A ball is any pitch that misses the zone. A hit batter counts as a ball, not a base.
A Home Run is anything that clears the outfield fence.
No stealing or leading off bases.
No balks for the pitcher.
Fielding Rules
Home Plate Outs: To get a runner at home, a fielder must throw and hit the backstop behind home plate before the runner steps on home. If the throw misses or arrives late, the runner is safe. No force at home — the deadman's line means once the ball hits the backstop, it's a dead ball. Runners cannot advance.
First Base Outs: Force out at first by: throwing to a first baseman, stepping on first, or throwing to the practice net behind first before the runner touches. Overthrows are a dead ball.
Overthrows: If a fielder overthrows to first or third and the ball goes out of play, the batter is awarded one base.
Tag Outs: Throwing the ball at a runner is allowed. If the ball hits a runner while they're off a base, they're out.
Game Format
3-inning games.
6-run limit per inning. No run limit in the 3rd inning.
40-minute time limit. No new innings will start after 35 minutes.
Conduct & Safety
Sportsmanship: Treat your opponents with respect. Light chirping between friends is fine — taunting, excessive trash-talk, or any form of verbal or physical abuse is not. The tournament director may eject any player for excessive swearing, bullying, or poor sportsmanship.
Challenge Penalty: No formal challenges or arguments. Emotional arguments result in a one-out penalty: offense arguing adds an out; defense arguing subtracts an out from the inning.
Tobacco products of any kind — cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco — are strictly prohibited on the field and in spectator areas. Violation = ejection.
Players may not consume alcohol during games. Any player found drinking will be asked to leave immediately.
Illegal substances are strictly prohibited. Any player found using or under the influence will be immediately ejected and banned from the league.
Official Rulebook