FPSB

Question
Out or not???

Batter up, runners on 1st and 3rd. Batter hits fair and ball gets intercepted by SS who throws ball to 2B. 2B catches ball while in contact with 2nd base and before runner from 1st reaches 2nd (forced play). Runner arrives at 2nd and runs down 2B who subsequently drops ball because of it - although 2nd base was already tagged based on force play. Umpire ruled runner safe on the basis that 2B dropped ball.

As an off duty female baseball umpire I would have called the runner on 2nd out based on forced play and tagged 2nd base.

What's right and what's wrong??

Answer
Tricia;

As long as the release of the ball was "deliberate and intentional" then the out should stand.  If the 2nd baseman dropped the ball and it wasn't deliberate and intentional then the runner would be safe, regardless if there was a rundown or not.

I hope this has helped.

-Martin Hoover