Beep baseball is a form of the popular American sport adapted for play by blind and visually impaired players. The game is played using standard softball bats, a 16" round ball that makes a beeping sound, and bases, which are technically poles, that buzz. Beep Baseball is managed by the Blind Sports Organization (www.blindsports.org/ ). The Lions Club contacts and facilitates Beep Baseball contests at Crows Woods Gardens.
To ensure a fair contest, each athlete wears a blindfold. There are six blind or visually impaired players in the field, plus one or two sighted spotters. The field is divided up into sections and each section has a number. When a ball is hit, the spotter calls out the number of the area and the fielders go for the ball. An out occurs either after four strikes or when a fair ball is fielded before the batter reaches the base. A run is scored when the batter hits a fair ball and reaches a base before the fielder gets control of the ball. As in a traditional baseball game, the team with the most runs at the end of regulation play is the winner.
