This is a great game that can be played anywhere there is an open field. There are no base runners (only fake/phantom runners), however, it involves the entire team because there are two separate games going on at the same time.
Equipment
Baseballs (4-6)
Gloves
Bases (3)
Cones (15-20)
Batting T (2)
Layout:
The diamond is divided in half using markers (beginning at the home plate area and ending up in shallow center field).
Two teams (of 4-8 players) play each other on each half of the diamond. One game is played on the left side of the field between 3rd and 2nd, while the other is played on the other side between 2nd and first.
Description
Two players take turns hitting from a tee. One hits to the left side of the field, while the other hits to the right.
Fielders are positioned along the base paths as well as scattered throughout the outfield. For example, a team of 4 players (playing on the left side of the field) would have 2 infielders between 3rd and 2nd, and 2 outfielders covering the area from the left field foul line to the markers in center field.
Rules: The batter continues to hit balls off the tee until he/she has been put out. Once everyone on the offensive team has had a chance to bat, the two teams switch (the hitters take a position in the field and the fielders that were collecting the balls come in to hit).
Rules: There are only 2 types of hits in this game...singles and home runs. A single is defined as a ground ball or line drive hit past the infielders (Note that infielders must field the ball cleanly before it clears the infield. Otherwise it counts as a hit). A home run is a fly ball or line drive that is clearly hit over the last outfielder's head.
Rules: Since there are no real base runners, the game is played station to station. For every hit, one "phantom" base runner is added. To score runs, the hitters must accumulate enough singles to load the bases. After that, every hit counts as 1 run (unless the hit is a home run in which case all phantom runners score and the bases are cleared).
Outs: A player is put out if he/she swings and misses the ball, swings and hits the batting tee, or hits a ball outside of the two foul lines defining their half of the field. They are also out if their ball is caught in mid-air or fielded in front of the baseline between the two bases.
Tips
It may be helpful to assign players to a team before playing. If the teams are fair, everyone will get an equal chance to be on offence.
For younger players, it may be safer to use incrediballs rather than real baseballs.
For safety reasons, players that are not hitting should be away from the home plate area. It is a good idea to have them sit down against the backstop or in the dugout.
When one side of the field is switching from offense to defense, have the hitter playing on the other half of the field pause for a moment. This way, players running out to their position won't be in danger of foul balls hit to their side of the field.
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