The basics and most often heard terms

*Ball- a legally pitched ball that does not enter the strike zone (four balls equals a walk)
*Grounder- A ball that is hit on the ground
*Force out- when the runner has to advance to the next base to make room for the following base runner.
*Fly ball- ball hit up in the air to the infield
*On deck- the next batter
*Pop up- ball hit up in the air to the infield
*Strike- term used when a ball is swung at and missed or is called when the ball enters the strike zone and is not swung at all.
*Strike zone- the ball passes the batter over the plate between their chest and knees

The Game
*There are 9 players on a softball team.
*The playing field is divided into the infield and outfield
*The lines between the bases are 60’ apart and when joined they form a “diamond”, inside the baseline is known as the infield
*Outside the baseline but inside the playing field is called the outfield.
*Any ball going outside the 1st or 3rd base line is a foul ball ( runners can not advance and the batter gets another try unless the ball was caught in the air, which translates to an out)
*An official game is 7 innings (a inning is when both teams have had their turn to bat)