What Is Appendix G? The NCAA Rule Behind UCLA’s Home Run vs Tennessee in WCWS

The 2025 Women’s College World Series elimination game between Tennessee softball and UCLA took spectators nationwide to a place few would have predicted when they watched the game: the NCAA rule book.

Megan Grant hit a game-tying two-run home run off Tennessee flame-thrower Karlyn Pickens in the top of the seventh inning with two outs, with the Lady Vols leading the Bruins 4-2.

What at first glance seemed to be a simple play, but one that had enormous consequences, quickly became controversial.

Grant rounded third base and went home, where her teammates were ready to huddle her. But it wasn’t until teammate Alexis Ramirez urged her to touch home plate that Grant did so, a few seconds later.

Despite Grant not touching the plate at first and being helped to return and make contact, umpires ordered a long video review that finally led to the ruling on the field being upheld. According to Appendix G, the play was not reviewable, though. The game went into overtime as a result of the ruling.

Though it caused some understandable uncertainty for those watching the game, the decision caused frustration and outright anger from the Tennessee dugout. Appendix G: What is it exactly?

Here is a closer look at Appendix G and how it affected the umpiring crew’s decision during the UCLA vs. Tennessee softball WCWS game on Sunday:

What is Appendix G?

The 185-page 2025 NCAA Softball Rule Book has Appendix G, which contains the laws governing video review in the sport.

What plays are subject to video review and the requirements for using video review are described in the appendix, which takes up two pages of the rule book.

12 different plays and scenarios are listed in Appendix G for examination. Actions such as Ramirez pushing her teammate to make sure she hits home plate don’t seem to fall under the category for obvious and malicious contact.

Here’s a list of the plays subject to video review, according to the NCAA rule book:

• 1. Regarding batted balls (any ball higher than the top of the foul pole when it leaves the field cannot have that aspect reviewed):
• a. Deciding if a batted ball called fair is fair or foul.
• b. Deciding if a batted ball called foul should be a ground-rule double, home run, or hit-by-pitch.
• c. Deciding if a batted ball is or is not a home run.
• 2. Regarding pitched balls at the plate:
• a. Deciding if a pitch ruled a dropped third strike was caught before the ball touched the ground.
• b. Deciding whether a live or dead ball should be changed to a foul ball.
• c. Deciding whether a foul ball should be changed to a foul tip only with no base runners, or if it would result in a third out.
• d. Deciding whether a batter is entitled to an award of first base per Hit Batter (by Pitch) – whether the ball hit the batter, whether the ball was entirely in the batter’s box, whether the batter made an attempt to get out of the way of the pitch when required, and/or whether the batter intentionally tried to get hit by the pitch (see Rule 11.13).
• 3. Spectator interference.
• 4. Obstruction and interference (including collisions).
• 5. Deciding if malicious/flagrant contact occurred. Umpires may initiate this review without requiring a coach’s challenge at any point in the game to ensure student-athlete safety.
• 6. Timing plays (deciding whether a third out is made before the lead base runner touches home plate).
• 7. Force/Tag Play Calls: Plays involving all runners acquiring the base before the defensive player’s attempt to put the runner out at any base.
• 8. Blocked or dead ball/Placement of Runners: Deciding whether a ball not ruled blocked should be ruled blocked, and the proper placement of runners (per the rules/case book) after any blocked or dead ball call.
• 9. A catch or no catch in any situation.
• 10. Runners leaving the base prior to the touch on a fly ball (tagging up), runners missing a base and runners leaving early on a pitch.