Tournament Game Time Limits, Bracket Play, and Championship Game Procedures

Effective: 2027 Tournament Season

1. General Game Time Regulations

All tournament games shall be governed by the official Premier Prospects Sports (PPS) Baseball Rules and the event-specific provisions published by the Tournament Director prior to the commencement of the tournament.

Unless otherwise expressly stated in the published tournament rules, all time limits shall operate under a No New Inning format rather than a Drop-Dead format.

The official game clock shall begin with the first pitch of the game. The plate umpire shall maintain the official game time.

An inning is considered to have begun immediately upon the final out of the preceding inning.

Once the established game time limit has expired, no additional regulation inning may begin, except as expressly authorized under the elimination-game tiebreaker provisions below.

An inning that began before expiration of the time limit shall be completed as necessary to determine the official game result under applicable baseball rules.

2. Pool Play Games

Pool play games shall follow the published time limits applicable to the respective age division.

• 9U–12U: 90 minutes
• 13U–14U: 105 minutes
• 15U–16U: As established in the tournament's published event rules.

No new inning shall begin after the applicable time limit has expired.

Pool play games may conclude in a tie where permitted by the official PPS rules.

The Tournament Director may modify pool-play game lengths when authorized by PPS rules and justified by weather, field availability, safety considerations, scheduling delays, or other tournament conditions.

3. Elimination Bracket Play: Mandatory Winner Determination

All single-elimination bracket games, including quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship games, must produce a winning team for advancement or championship determination.

Unless otherwise published and approved, elimination bracket games shall follow the applicable age-division time limits established for the tournament.

All elimination bracket games shall operate under the No New Inning format.

When the game time limit expires:

1. No new regulation inning may begin.
2. Any inning already in progress shall be completed as necessary under applicable baseball rules.
3. If one team is ahead upon completion of the game, that team shall be declared the winner.
4. If the game remains tied, the game shall proceed to the PPS-approved elimination-game tiebreaker procedure.

A bracket game shall not be declared final solely because its time limit has expired while the official score remains tied.

4. Elimination Game Tiebreaker Procedure

When an elimination bracket game remains tied after the applicable regulation innings or expiration of the No New Inning time limit, the official PPS tiebreaker procedure shall be implemented.

Under the PPS Texas Tiebreaker format:

• Each team begins its offensive half-inning with one out.
• The last three eligible batters from the preceding inning are placed on the bases according to the official PPS tiebreaker procedure.
• Each team receives its applicable offensive opportunity.
• Additional tiebreaker innings continue until a winner is determined.

Tiebreaker innings are exempt from the normal No New Inning time restriction unless an alternative procedure has been expressly approved by PPS and published before the tournament.

The official score and winning team shall be determined under the governing PPS rules.

5. Championship Game Time Limits

Championship games shall be subject to the specific time limits published for the tournament.

For the 2027 tournament season, the proposed championship time limits are:

• 9U–12U: 90 minutes
• 13U–16U: 105 minutes

Championship games shall use the No New Inning format, with the current inning completed as required under applicable baseball rules.

If a championship game remains tied at the conclusion of regulation or the applicable time-limited inning, the PPS-approved tiebreaker procedure shall apply.

Championship games are not automatically exempt from published event-specific time limits. Any such time limits must be authorized by PPS and communicated to participating teams before the tournament.

6. Weather, Darkness, Safety, and Unforeseen Circumstances

The Tournament Director, in coordination with facility management and game officials as appropriate, may suspend, delay, or discontinue play when conditions create an unsafe playing environment or prevent continued use of the facility.

Such circumstances may include:

• Severe weather or lightning
• Unsafe field conditions
• Insufficient natural or artificial lighting
• Facility closures or restrictions
• Medical or other emergencies
• Other conditions affecting participant safety

Safety-related suspensions take precedence over normal game-time procedures.

When an elimination game cannot be completed, the Tournament Director shall apply the governing PPS rules and any PPS-approved, previously published tournament contingency procedures to determine whether the game may be resumed, rescheduled, or otherwise resolved.

Nothing in this policy authorizes the Tournament Director to disregard safety requirements or compel continued play under unsafe conditions.

If the governing rules do not provide a valid method of determining a winner, the Tournament Director shall seek a ruling from PPS leadership.

7. Game Clock, Umpire Authority, and Disputes

The plate umpire shall maintain the official game clock.

Coaches are responsible for monitoring game time and requesting clarification from the plate umpire when necessary.

The Tournament Director may resolve administrative questions involving scheduling, published time limits, and tournament procedures, consistent with governing PPS rules.

Umpires retain authority over on-field judgments and enforcement of applicable playing rules.

Any protest concerning the application of a time-limit or tiebreaker rule must be raised in accordance with the official PPS protest procedure.

A coach's disagreement with a properly applied published time-limit provision does not independently establish grounds for a refund, replay, or reversal of the official result.

8. Publication and Acknowledgment

All applicable game time limits, elimination-game tiebreaker procedures, and championship-game provisions shall be published before the tournament begins.

These provisions shall apply consistently to all teams competing within the same division and game classification.

No substantive change affecting competitive advancement or championship determination shall be applied retroactively to a game already completed.

Any necessary tournament modification must comply with governing PPS rules and shall be communicated to affected teams before implementation.

Participation in the tournament constitutes acknowledgment of the applicable published tournament rules, subject to governing law and any additional registration terms.

Tournament Administration Notice

The purpose of this policy is to provide predictable game scheduling, fair competitive procedures, consistent application of time limits, and an objective method for determining advancement during elimination play.

All provisions remain subordinate to official PPS rules and any applicable sanctioning requirements.