A hit by pitch occurs when a pitched ball touches any part of the batter. The batter must make a reasonable effort to avoid the ball to receive the award. An umpire grants the batter a free trip to first base after the contact. This rule protects players from dangerous or wild throwing during the course of the game. A pitcher loses control and the softball strikes the shoulder of the person hitting. The umpire immediately kills the play and points the batter toward the first base bag. Any runners forced to move by this arrival also advance to the following base safely. This event counts as an official plate appearance but does not hurt the batting average. Pitchers work to stay accurate to avoid giving the opposing team free runners on base.
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