2008 3-Pitch Tournament Information

You and your Youth Baseball Organization are invited to the 7th Annual Upper Valley “Three Pitch” Tournament, hosted by the Lebanon and Hartford Youth Baseball Programs. We expect this to be a fun weekend for all of the kids that participate.

The tournament is for regular season “12 & under” youth baseball teams, no all-star teams are invited or permitted. This invitation is being extended to all of the communities throughout the Upper Valley area. Interest in this tournament has been very high, so unfortunately space is limited. Interested teams must be signed up by May 1^st, 2008.

Entry Fee:

• $150.00
• Checks should be made out to the “Lebanon Little League” and mailed to:
  Attn: 3-pitch Registration
  Lebanon Little League
  PO Box 905, Lebanon, NH 03766
• Fill out and mail the Roster Form with your payment.
• Towns must be able to provide proof of insurance for your team(s).

Format:

• There will be 4 divisions (American League East & West, National League East & West). Each division will have 5 teams. Round Robin games will be played within each division on Thursday and Friday evenings as well as all day Saturday. (2 games will be held at each field on Thursday and Friday nights, 6 games will be held at each field on Saturday.)
• The top three (3) teams from each division advance to the single elimination playoffs starting on Sunday morning with the Championship game being played on Sunday afternoon.

Rules:

• This tournament is for the KIDS. It should be a fun and a low-pressure experience. There will be a Zero Tolerance Policy in effect for any person not showing respect and courtesy to the players, coaches, umpires and/or spectators.
• All games will start at the scheduled times, no games will be allowed to continue past 10 minutes before the next game is scheduled to start. There will be a 65-minute time limit for the last game of the day. There will be no time limit for the championship game. There is a 5-inning limit per game.
• 2 balls equals a walk, 2 strikes equal an out. (Foul balls hit on the second strike are an out.)
• Maximum of 3 runs per half inning, unlimited runs in the 5^th inning.
• Free substitution is allowed.
• Each player must play at least 6 defensive outs in the field.
• Each team will use a continuous batting order.
• No pitcher may pitch more than 2 innings per game. (1 pitch equals 1 inning pitched.)
• No on deck batters permitted.
• Ties are permitted in the round robin.
• All other National Little League rules prevail.

Notes:

• To avoid delays, coaches should have each innings lineup prepared before the start of the game.
• Each team’s scorekeeper must exchange lineups (batting order only) with the opponent’s scorekeeper 15 minutes before each game. You do not have to report fielding changes. After the game the scorekeeper must meet the Tournament Director to register the final score, innings pitched, and all tie breaker information.
• Each team will have 2 Home and 2 Away games. Home team will be bottom team on the schedule. Playoffs the highest seeded team will have home field advantage.
• Teams will earn 2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss.
• Round Robin “tie breaker” point determination (followed in this order):

1. Head to Head record of the two teams tied

2. Runs allowed throughout tournament
3. Number of shutout innings throughout the tournament
4. Coin flip

• Single elimination tie breakers (followed in this order):

1. Shut out innings in that game
2. Revert back to the last complete inning with a leader
3. Coin flip

• Each team is guaranteed at least 3 games, with two teams playing as many as 7 games in a four day stretch. The safety and well being of the kids is paramount! Pitchers should be watched especially close for fatigue or injury.

• Weather in May can be either 80 degrees with various levels of humidity, or 30 degrees and raining; and sometimes both! Please be prepared, and ensure the players have adequate clothing for any weather.