What happens if a softball game is tied after seven innings?
I · Intermediate · The game · 1 of 4The game goes on, and from the top of the eighth inning each team starts its turn at bat with a runner already on second base and nobody out. The runner is the player due to bat ninth in that half-inning, which is the batter before the one leading off. Play continues an inning at a time until one team is ahead.
How it works
- When: "Starting with the top of the eighth inning and for each half-inning thereafter until the game ends."
- Who: the player scheduled to bat ninth in that half-inning is placed on second base.
- In practice: if the seventh inning ended with the number 8 hitter, number 9 leads off the eighth and number 8 is on second.
- The batting order: carries on as in any other inning.
- A substitute: the runner on second may be replaced under the usual substitution rules.
- First base: the placed runner does not have to have touched first base for the run to count.
- Both halves: the visiting team bats first and the home team second, each with a runner on second.
- Ending: the game ends when one team has more runs after a complete inning, or when the home team goes ahead.
- The wrong runner: is out if the defence appeals while they are on base. If the batting team corrects it first, there is no penalty.
- Conferences: one charged defensive conference in each extra inning.
The glossary has the tiebreaker, the extra innings entry, the inning, the base runner, the run and the turn at bat.
Tricky cases
The seventh inning ends with the number 3 hitter making the last out. Who is where in the eighth?
Number 4 leads off and number 3 is placed on second base.
Can a faster player run in place of the one due on second?
Yes, as a substitution. The usual rules apply, so the player replaced has left the game unless they are a starter who can still re-enter.
The visiting team scores twice in the top of the eighth. Does the home team start with a runner on second too?
Yes. Every half-inning from the eighth onwards starts that way.
The batting team puts the wrong player on second and the next batter takes a pitch. What can the defence do?
Appeal at any time while that runner is on base. If the appeal is upheld the runner is out.
Why the rule exists
Good pitching can keep a softball game scoreless for a long time, and a tournament cannot wait. A runner on second with nobody out makes a run likely in every half-inning, so most tied games are settled within an inning or two.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Innings one to seven | No placed runner | WBSC Softball Rule 1.2.1 |
| From the eighth inning | Runner on second, nobody out | WBSC Softball Rule 1.2.4 |
| World Cups | The same rule, with the batting order continuing | WBSC Softball World Cup Regulation C7.5 g |
| WBSC baseball tournaments | Runners on first and second | WBSC Baseball Appendix 1, A1.4.2 |
From the rule book
World Baseball Softball Confederation, Official Rules of Softball: Fast Pitch (2026-2029), Rules 1.2.4, 1.2.5 and 4.2.1. WBSC, Softball World Cups Tournament Regulations (revised 3 March 2026), C7.5 g. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: WBSC Official Rules of Softball, Fast Pitch, 2026-2029 (PDF).