Dimock/Emery amateur team files protest on league game

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A formal protest has been turned in to the Sunshine League after Alexandria’s 8-7 victory over Dimock/Emery in an amateur baseball game Sunday in Alexandria.

Dimock/Emery filed the complaint over an interpretation regarding the re-entry rule. A protest can be filed when a team believes a rule was misapplied during a baseball game.

Alexandria’s Trever Vermeulen had entered in the top of the sixth inning as a relief pitcher but did not bat when his turn in the order came up in the bottom half of the inning when the Angels were on offense.

Vermeulen re-entered in the top of the seventh on the mound. Dimock/Emery’s protest is that a non-starter may not re-enter a baseball game once he is removed from the lineup.

Along with filing the protest, Dimock/Emery must also pay a $30 fee to the league secretary for the process, which has not been paid. Sunshine League Secretary Pat Skinner expects to receive a check today for the process to formally begin.

Sunshine League President Dave Roth said the league adopted the re-entry rule a few years ago and is looking over the specifics of the regulation.

“I assume they can’t do that, but the rules we got said they can,” Roth said.

He said he was looking at a national rule and the Sunshine League specifically goes by South Dakota High School Baseball Association rules.

“We’re waiting to hear high school rules,” Roth said.

District 5 Commissioner Bill Ernster said he has looked at the rule and is unsure of the correct decision.

Ernster said he has attempted to contact officials with the SDHSBA before any decisions will be made.

“The bigger problem is the ‘guilty team’ asked the umpire about it, and the umpire said they could do that,” Ernster said, referring to Vermeulen’s re-entry. “I’m trying to decipher what the rules really mean.”

Ernster said the annual summer meeting for the Sunshine League is Monday, and the re-entry rule is something that will be looked at.

“I was against the rule to begin with,” Ernster said. “If they keep the re-entry rule, they’re going to have to put it in black and white, so every manager gets it and they let the umpires know it.”

Ernster said if the paperwork all goes through the league will have an arbitration meeting where all league teams not involved with the incident will vote on the decision of consequences. He was unsure if the Angels could end up forfeiting the win.

Alexandria manager/player Chris Marek did not comment on the protest. Dimock/Emery manager Ron DeGeest could not be reached.

Tags: sports, updates, dimock, emery, baseball