Balk in Baseball: Live Ball or Dead Ball with Bases Loaded?

Question
During a pitch, infield umpire calls balk, bases loaded, batter hits a ball. Is the ball struck dead or is it a live ball?

Answer
Jess,

It depends on the rule code being used. In high school rules (NFHS, or Fed), the ball is immediately dead and all runners advance one base.

In any other rule code (unless a rule modification is being used by the local league), the ball is live. If the batter hits the ball and all runners and the batter advance at least one base, the balk is ignored. If not, all the runners are advanced one base from where they were at the time of pitch, and the batter is still at bat with the same count.