IHSA fastpitch softball

Question
Runner on a walk jogges down to 1st touches base and still in motion is sent to 2nd. Pitcher is in circle but not at rubber.Is this a leagal stolen base.

Answer
Hi Dawn,
Thank you for your question.  The most time-consuming part of answering it was trying to research what the abbreviation IHSA stands for, lol!  

If Illinois High School Association softball is governed by the 2011 NFHS Rules Book then yes, you have described a legal stolen base.  Here's Rule 9-4: "A stolen base shall be credited in the summary to a runner each time the runner advances a base without the aid of a base hit, a putout or a fielder (including battery) error."  Three exceptions are listed after that definition, but the action in your scenario isn't one of those three.  So score your play 1) a base on balls and 2) a steal for the advance from 1B to 2B.

Dawn, here's a little bit of unsolicited extra information for you: After a base on balls the batter-runner is allowed to continue onto 2B, or onto 3B and home, if the defense is unable to stop her.  After she reaches 1B while the live ball is held by the pitcher in the circle (it doesn't matter if she's on the rubber or not), the runner may stop once, but must then immediately continue onto the next base or retreat to the one last touched.  Rule 8-7 governs this pitcher/runner action and is called the Look Back Rule.

Scott Kelly