infield fly rule

Question
hi I play slow pitch softball in the asa league, had a play tonight we had an issue on I didn't agree with the umps, wanted clarification on it, it was an infield fly rule but the guy left from 2nd and went to 3rd before the ball ever came down, by rule it is they can go at the own risk once its caught or hit the ground but he left before it hit the ground, wanted to know if he should have been called out when we threw it back to 2nd or if he was safe, thank you.

Answer
Good Morning Mickey,

I am a fastpitch person and don't normally answer slow pitch questions but the infield fly rule is universal.  

Many make the IFR more complicated than they need to.  The IFR only affects the batter.  If the IFR is in effect and the batter hits an infield fly, they are called out.  This is actually to protect the offense from a purposely missed ball that would result in an easy double play.  Of course if the ball is not caught, the runners are not forced to advance as the batter is out.

The runners react based on how the ball is played.  If it is not caught, they are free to try and advance.  If it is caught, the runners need to tag up prior to attempting to advancing.  The runners don't need to wait until the ball hits the ground.

Tom