1. Tournament Administration
1.1. The Bulldog Classic Tournament is governed by IHSA Baseball Rules which will be used unless otherwise outline below. It is the responsibility of each team and their coaches to be aware of all of the rules contained herein.
1.2. All teams must be in possession of each player’s birth certificate during the entire tournament
1.3. All teams are responsible for their own insurance. A copy of the insurance certificate for each team must be received by the Tournament Director 5 days prior to the start of their first game.
1.4. No protests allowed; decision of umpire and/or Tournament Director is final.
1.5. The Tournament Director(s) reserves the right to change the game schedule, time limit and/or match-ups if weather or time constraints interfere with the established schedule or for the betterment of the tournament.
1.6. The Tournament Director(s) makes all final decisions on items not covered in these rules.
2. Sportsmanship and Personal Conduct
2.1. The coaches shall promote sportsmanlike conduct and control the behavior and deportment of their players, assistant coaches, fans, as well as themselves.
2.2. A player or coach who swears, throws equipment, or is otherwise disruptive or unsportsmanlike shall be given a verbal warning by the umpire. Any subsequent act of misconduct by that player or coach shall result in ejection from the game.
2.3. Coaches and players may not question or protest judgment calls made by the umpire and coaches will be responsible for causing their players and their team’s fans to do so likewise.
2.4. Removal from the game is at the discretion of the umpire or tournament director. Should any player, coach, or fan be ejected from a game, they will be disqualified for the remainder of the tournament and must leave the complex. If a fan is ejected, their team's head coach will also be ejected.
3. Roster
3.1. Teams will be allowed 15 playing members. No additions to the roster will be allowed after the first game pitch of the team’s first game is thrown.
3.2. All rostered players must be full time members of the team and have participated in at least 50% of the team's games (unless injured).
3.3. Player's age will be determined by their age as of 5/1 of the year of the tournament
3.4. All teams will bat their roster in a continuous batting order. Free substitution is allowed in the field (excluding pitcher – see section 7 regarding pitcher requirements), but all batters must remain in their original batting order. Players leaving the game early will not be called out when their turn in the order comes to bat. Once a player skips an at-bat for any reason, they are officially out of the game.
3.5. There will be no more than nine (9) players in the field at one time.
3.6. A minimum of eight (8) players are required to play the game. At any time during a game, should a team that fails to field 8 players, they will forfeit the game.
4. Scoring
4.1. A coin flip will determine the home team, prior to the start of each game the team that has traveled the farthest will call the flip. During bracket play, the higher seed will be the home team.
4.2. All games scores must be submitted to the site director after to the conclusion game by the winning team. In the case of a tie, the home team is responsible for submitting
4.3. A forfeited game will be recorded as a 7 - 0 shutout.
4.4. Both team scorekeepers will confer at the bottom of each inning to insure uniformity. Any discrepancies must be immediately addressed with the umpire prior to the resumption of play
4.5. Players arriving after first pitch must be added to the bottom of the order.
4.6. Mercy Rule: The TEN (10) RUN RULE takes effect at the completion of four innings (three-and one-half innings if the home team is ahead).
4.7. The maximum run differential in a game will be +/-7 regardless of the final score (e.g. 10-0 win will be a run differential of +/-7)
5. Field Policies and Procedures
5.1. Field Assignments and Rules
5.1.1. Teams will play at designated fields at times directed by the tournament officials (designated fields are subject to change).
5.1.2. All teams must be ready to play 15 minutes prior to the start of their scheduled game. Violation of this rule may result in forfeit.
5.1.3. Spectators will not be allowed to sit directly behind the backstop.
5.1.4. Only adult coaches are allowed to coach the bases. Only two base coaches are permitted on the field while their team is at bat. All other coaches must be in the dugout area.
5.1.5. Coaches must stay in the coaches' box or designated coaches' area (e.g. dugouts)
5.1.6. All coaches must remain in the dugout when their respective team is in the field - unless time has been called. After one warning, the violating coach will be removed from the game

6. Equipment
6.1. Bats Specification
The bat must be a baseball bat which meets the specifications and standards as noted in this rule. It shall be a smooth, rounded stick and made of wood or of metal.
8U / 9U / 10U / 11U / 12U / 13U - It shall not be more than thirty-three (33) inches in length nor more than two and three-fourths (2 ¾) inches in diameter. Non-wood bats shall be labeled with a BPF (bat performance factor) of 1.15 or less OR a USA Baseball Stamp. Maximum Drop (difference between the length and weight) -13 for 8U, -12 for 9U-12U and -8 for 13U.
6.2. Definition of an Illegal Bat - An Illegal bat is a bat that has been altered or a bat that is not approved for play because it does not meet specifications with regard to length, weight, barrel diameter, labeling or performance standard as outlined in rule 6.1
Any bats found to be in violation of rule 6.1:
• Any previous plays or outcomes will stand.
• An out will be immediately assessed to the team using the bat
• If the violation occurred on a play which was the third out of the inning, the team in violation will start their next full inning with an out
• For the first violation, the bat is simply removed from play and the violation shall be reported by the umpire to the Tournament Director.
• For the second violation - whether in the same game or at any subsequent time during the remainder of the tournament - the manager of the team will be ejected for the remainder of the tournament. Any violation subsequent to this will result in the newly designated manager being ejected.
• Example: 1 out, bottom of the 3rd. The batter hits a home run. Upon rounding the bases, the umpire notices that the bat that was used was in violation of the rule. The 3 run home run counts. An out is immediately assigned (e.g. now 2 outs), and the next player in the lineup is at bat (e.g. no batter is skipped)
NOTE: It is in the spirit of this tournament to i) Not use any equipment that is in violation of the rules and ii) to knowingly take advantage of this rule to reverse the outcome of a play based on the use of an illegal bat. If either team become aware of a violation of the bat rule, it is your duty to report it immediately.
6.3. Helmets - All batters, runners, and batboys must wear helmets with earflaps.
6.4. Metal spikes are allowed for 12U & 13U levels ONLY. NO METAL SPIKES ON ANY PORTABLE MOUNDS!!
7. In Game Rules
7.1. Game Time Rule
7.1.1. Number of innings:
• 8U/9U/10U - 6 innings
• 11U/12U/13U - 7 innings
7.2. No new inning may start after 1 hour and 45 minutes. However, any inning that is started will be completed (unless cancelled due to weather or curfew – see section 7.3). Pool play games can end in a tie. Bracket play will be played until there is a winner. Extra innings will be played if started prior to the 1 hr and 45 minute time limit.
7.2.1. If in the judgment of the umpire, a team is attempting to delay a game in order to reach the game time limit, the following penalties will be assessed:
• 1st offense - Warning
• 2nd offense - Automatic out in that team's next at bat
• 3rd offense - Game Forfeit
7.3. If weather or darkness interferes with play so that the game is halted, it will be considered a complete game after four (4) innings or 3 and a half (3-1/2) innings if the home team is ahead. The Tournament Director(s) has the right to finalize games prior 3 and a half or 4 completed innings. If the visiting team is up to bat, the game will revert to the previous completed inning (e.g. If it is the top of the 5th and the game is called, the score will revert back to the end of the 4th inning). If the game is not complete, the game will pick up exactly where it left off the next available day. The tournament director has final say in all scenarios to consider a game complete or not.
7.4. Pitching
7.4.1. No more than (5) warm-up pitches between innings or (7) warm-up pitches after a pitching change.
7.4.2. Trips to the mound by a manager/coach may not exceed one trip per pitcher in one inning. The second trip will result in the removal of the pitcher.
7.4.3. Once a pitcher is removed from the mound, he may NOT return later in the same game as a pitcher.
7.4.4. Balks:
• 8U / 9U - There are no balks.
• 10U / 11U / 12U - Each pitcher will be allowed one balk warning
• U13 No balk warnings
7.4.5. There are no daily pitch count or tournament inning limits.
7.4.6. Intentionally walking a batter can be done by telling the umpire
7.5. Base Running
7.5.1. A player must slide at home plate when the play is on. In the judgment of the umpire, if a player did not slide or a player maliciously forces contact on the play, he will be called out and may be ejected from the game. If the tag attempt is "up the line", the runner is not expected to slide prematurely, however malicious contact is still prohibited.
7.5.2. A base runner must slide if a fielder is attempting to tag him at the base. Failure to do so will be called an out. Please note: This rule is not meant to force a runner to dive back to a base on a pick-off attempt. Please use common sense in enforcing this rule. The home plate umpire has final ruling.
7.5.3. A courtesy runner MUST be used for the catcher when there are two outs. The player who made the last batted out shall be the courtesy runner.
7.6. Slashing (e.g. squaring to bunt and then taking a full swing) is prohibited. This is for the safety of the fielders. Any attempted slash bunt will result in an immediate dead ball with the batter being called out. All base runners will return to their previously occupied base.

8. Rules Determining Championship Match-Ups
• Playoff structure may change based on number of teams participating. Determination will be made prior to the start of the tournament.
• ALL Teams must be present in order to be considered or selected to advance.
• If multiple teams in a Bracket have the same record, the winner of the Bracket will be selected as follows:
i. Head-to-Head Record
ii. Run Differential (+/- 7)
iii. Runs Allowed
iv. Runs Scored
v. Coin Flip
• The Tournament Director reserves the right to change the matchups or format, in the best interest of the tournament (e.g. if pool play results in two teams playing each other twice on the last day of the tournament, with the first game being meaningless to the outcome of the tournament).