With the runner from first attempting to steal second base, the batter swings and misses the pitch for strike two. His follow-through contacts the catcher and causes him to drop the ball on his attempted throw.

• A. The batter is declared out and the runner is returned to first.
• B. The runner is declared out and the batter continues his at-bat.
• C. Both the batter and the runner are declared out.
• D. B and C.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is batter’s interference on a throw. Here, the batter already has two strikes, but as the catcher is attempting a throw to retire the runner, the batter’s follow-through contacts the catcher and causes him to drop the ball. In NFHS rules, that contact is batter’s interference, which makes the ball dead and the batter out. Because the ball is dead, there’s no play that would retire the runner at second, so the runner is simply returned to the base he occupied before the pitch (first). The at-bat ends with the batter out, and the runner is not out. That’s why the correct outcome is that the batter is out and the runner is returned to first.