slow pitch softball

Question
I play in a coed slow pitch softball league.  Here is the situation:  runner at 1st, left handed batter.  I am playing behind 1st base guarding the line.  The batter hits a hard shot down the line and it hits the runner who is in fair territory but still has a foot in contact with 1st base.  The ball bounces out of play.  The ruling was... fair ball.  The runner was allowed to go to 3rd and the batter was held at 2nd only because the ball bounced out of play. What is the rule here since the runner was still in contact with 1st base yet that impeded my ability to field the ball?

Answer
Hi Wendy,

This is a good question because it may be the wrong call in 1 or 2 orgs but the right call in others.  So rather than writing you back and ask what org you play for I'll post my ASA answer and go from there.

I'll give you the ASA answer, nsa I believe is almost the same (dead ball, b-r to 1st, etc) and utrip may be different and I'm thinking based on the award you may play utrip but I'll let someone who knows their rules better than I do(since I do not claim to be a utrip umpire) to add to this.

In ASA if R1 was hit in fair territory while in contact with the base and you are playing behind the base, it is a dead ball, b-r is awarded 1st base and R1 goes to 2nd by way of being forced to.

In ASA play had you been playing in front of the base, the ball would continue to be live when it struck the runner and then the ball would be dead when it went out of play and both the runner and the b-r would be awarded 2 bases from the time of the pitch.

In this particular case it doesn't matter that the ball went out of play because the ball became dead as soon as it struck the runner, and it doesn't matter that the ball striking the runner impeded your ability to field the ball unless the runner INTENTIONALLY interfered with it which I don't get from your q.

Mark