A Summary of Softball in the US
Softball is a popular sport that is played all over the US with enthusiasm. This sport is a variant of the game of baseball. However, it is played on relatively smaller field and with larger ball. The invention of this game happened in Chicago at 1887. Initially, it was played as an indoor game. The game was called by various names like indoor baseball, mush ball, kitten ball, softbund ball and many more, especially because it was played by women.
The name softball was finally given to it in 1926.
The teams of softball consist of nine players each. At any one point of time, only ten players can be on the ground; nine from one team fielding and one from the opponent team batting. The playground has four bases namely the first, second and third base along with that of home plate. Even though the name is softball, the ball is not soft at all. The circumference is 30.5 cm and is larger than that that of baseball by almost 8cm.
The score happens in the form of runs. A full run is scored when a player with the bat has touched the bases, all four of them in order. He/she has to run counterclockwise to score a single run. Usually the game is played in seven innings. The game decisions are taken by one or more umpires, who are neutral. The softball is so famous in the US that an estimated 40 million of Americans play the game annually for both recreation and competition.
