The second baseman causes malicious contact with a runner by slapping the runner with the glove. Which of the following is the correct penalty?

• A. A, B and C.
• B. The ball is immediately dead and the second baseman is ejected.
• C. The runner is declared to be out.
• D. Other runners will be awarded appropriate bases they would have obtained had the malicious contact not occurred.

Answer: (D)

Malicious contact by a fielder against a runner is treated by restoring the base-running situation to what would have happened if the contact hadn’t occurred. The ball is dead at the moment of contact, and the runners are awarded the bases they would have reached had the contact not interrupted the play. This approach keeps the play fair by offsetting the disruption caused by the illegal contact.

That’s why the best answer is to award bases to the other runners based on what they would have obtained without the contact. The penalty isn’t automatically ejection of the fielder or declaring the runner out in all cases, and the choice that combines multiple penalties isn’t what NFHS prescribes for this situation.