BreezeBall - Welcome!

1.0 – Objectives, playing field and equipment

1.1 - BreezeBall is a game between two teams of two to five players
each, played under these rules. The rules should be enforced by a
scorekeeper who is familiar with these rules. The teams take six
turns each on offense and defense, called innings. The objective of
each team is to win by achieving a greater final score of more runs
than the opposition.

1.1.1 – While on offense, a team can score runs by hitting. One
player (the pitcher) throws the ball to a teammate (the batter).
The batter’s objective is to hit the ball into fair ground. Every
half inning, the batters take alternate turns three times each.

1.1.2 - While on defense, a team can prevent their opponents from
scoring by making catches.

1.2 - The field can be any large, flat area. The field is made up
of two areas: fair ground and foul ground.

1.3 - The equipment necessary to play a game of BreezeBall includes:
a ball and a scorecard. The ball should be a tennis ball. The
scorecard can be an official scorecard or reasonable facsimile.

1.3.1 – Additional equipment to enhance performance and enjoyment
includes: bats, gloves, field markers, ball containers, and personal
protective equipment. The bat can be anything that a batter chooses
to use to hit the ball with in a safe manner. A glove is anything
used by a fielder to catch a ball as long as it is used in a safe
manner. Field markers help to physically mark the line(s) between
fair ground and foul ground. A ball container is useful for the
pitcher to have balls readily available. All loose equipment is
considered part of foul ground if struck by a hit ball. All
personal protective equipment is allowed as long as it is used in a
safe manner.

2.0 – Definitions of terms

2.1 - Catch: the act of a fielder in getting secure possession of a
ball hit by the batter before it hits the field for a second time.
Once any fielder touches a hit ball, the ball can't be a catch if it
touches the field.

2.2 - Hit: any ball hit by the batter that falls for the first
bounce in fair ground and is not caught by a fielder.

2.3 - Pitch: any throw from the pitcher toward the batter.

2.4 - Run: the result of multiple hits in an inning half, awarded as
follows: 0 runs for the first hit, 1 run for the second hit, 2 runs
for the third and any subsequent hits.

2.5 - Strikeout: any turn that does not result in a hit or catch by
the end of the third pitch.

2.6 – Vertical Object: any physical obstruction on the field that is
not equipment and can not be cleared from the field. These are not
considered part of the field.

3.0 – Game setup

3.1 – Before a game can begin, the players of each team are
determined.

3.2 - The player with the highest tenure flips a coin straight up in
the air. The player with the lowest seniority calls either heads or
tails while the coin is in the air. Once the coin comes to rest,
the side facing up will determine whether the calling player's team
wins or loses the coin toss. The team that wins the coin toss
chooses to be the home or away team.

3.3 - The scorekeeper fills out the top of a scorecard with date,
game number, and the scorekeeper’s name, also recording team names
and each player’s name and role in the game.

3.4 - Both teams can now take their positions on the field. The
pitcher stands near the center of the line between fair and foul
grounds, facing the batting area. The first batter on the away team
stands in the batting area. The fielders on the home team take
their chosen positions.

4.0 – Starting and ending a game

4.1 - Play officially begins with the first pitch.

4.2 - Play ends with the sixth turn at the end of the sixth inning.
Games may end early if it becomes impossible for one team to tie or
surpass the other team’s score by the last turn.

5.0 – The pitcher

5.1 - The pitcher starts each turn by making sure all players are
ready and throwing a ball toward the batting area.

5.2 - The pitcher is considered part of foul ground.

6.0 – The batter

6.1 - The batter tries to hit each pitch into fair territory by any
means and equipment.

6.2 – The batter and any equipment the batter uses to hit the ball
is considered a vertical object. This means the batter can touch
the ball multiple times until the ball touches the field after
initial contact.

7.0 – The fielder

7.1 - The fielder tries to catch the ball after it is hit by the
batter.

7.2 - Fielders stand wherever they want, in fair or foul territory,
as long as their position doesn't physically impede the pitcher from
safely throwing the ball to the batter or the batter from safely
making a full swing at the pitch.

8.0 – The scorekeeper

8.1 - The scorekeeper records every turn in the game on a scorecard,
using the following guidelines.

8.1.1 – Twelve rows are used to record each half of the six
innings. These rows are split into nine columns. The first six
columns are used for the three turns of each batter. The seventh
column is used to record total runs scored each half inning. The
last two columns are used to record defensive catches.

8.2 – The scorekeeper uses these symbols to record the result of
every turn on offense: H = hit, + = run scored, K = strikeout.

8.3 – The scorekeeper uses simple symbols (either a C or hash mark)
to attribute catches to the appropriate players.

8.4 – The scorekeeper adds up each team’s score and records them at
the end of the game and records the result for each team using these
symbols: W = win, L = loss, T = tie.

9.0 – Everyone can and must play BreezeBall.