Technical details
Softball is played on a diamond, with a grass surface. There is a pitching
mound inside the diamond and four bases at each of the corners - home, first,
second and third.
There are nine players a side, taking it in turns to bat. Players use a wooden
bat which is 86.36cm long and 5.7cm in diameter. The ball is heavier and larger
than a baseball but is hard, not soft (as its name would suggest).
Runs are scored by circuiting the bases. Players can be caught or tagged out.
The innings are over when three batters are out.
Five facts:
1) Like baseball, softball also derived from rounders and cricket and probably
began as an indoor version of baseball.
2) In the Olympic Games, softball is a women-only event.
3) A relatively new sport to the Games, softball became an Olympic event at
Atlanta in 1996.
4) One pitch at Atlanta was clocked at 118 kilometres per hour (73.3 mph).
5) Unlike baseball, in softball the pitcher throws underarm and the match is
played over seven innings rather than nine.
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