How to Keep Score in Softball: A Step-by-Step Guide for Coaches

Softball scorekeeping uses the same diamond-cell grid as baseball, but a handful of rules make it its own thing. DP/FLEX substitutions. Illegal pitches instead of balks. The courtesy runner for pitcher and catcher. Slowpitch's 10th fielder. If you have been scoring baseball for years, you can pick up softball in about 15 minutes of reading. If this is your first time scoring either sport, softball is a fine place to start.

This guide walks you through everything a fastpitch or slowpitch coach needs to score a complete game, from your first at-bat to the post-game stat tally.

What Is a Softball Scorecard?

A softball scorecard is a one-page grid that records every play of a game. The top row is innings (usually 7 for fastpitch, 5-6 for youth). The left column is the batting order. Each cell is a single at-bat, and inside each cell is a small diamond representing the four bases.

When a batter reaches a base, you mark that corner of the diamond. When they score, you fill in the diamond. When you string together the whole game, you have a complete picture: who hit what, who drove in whom, and how the innings unfolded.

The scorecard also has a pitcher log, catcher log, substitution tracking (with DP/FLEX rows for fastpitch), and a header for metadata.

The Symbols You Need

You can score a complete softball game with these basic symbols. Learn these first; pick up the rest as you go.

Batting Results

• K: Strikeout (batter swung and missed)
• ꓘ (backwards K): Strikeout looking (called third strike)
• BB: Walk (base on balls)
• HBP: Hit by pitch
• 1B: Single
• 2B: Double
• 3B: Triple
• HR: Home run
• FC: Fielder's choice (batter safe, another runner out)
• E#: Reached on error (e.g., E6 = error by shortstop)

Outs

• F#: Fly out caught by that fielder (F7 = left field)
• G#-3: Groundout fielded by # and thrown to first (G6-3 = shortstop to first)
• L#: Line out to that fielder
• P#: Pop out to that fielder
• IF: Infield fly
• DP: Double play
• TP: Triple play

Softball-Specific Symbols

These show up in softball but rarely or never in baseball:

• IP: Illegal pitch. In fastpitch, this replaces the balk. If the illegal pitch is the pitch a batter hits or gets ball four on, the offense can take the result. Otherwise the umpire calls it a ball and any runners advance.
• DP (lineup): Designated Player. This is a batting-only position in fastpitch. Do not confuse with "DP" for double play, context and placement make it clear.
• FLEX: Defensive specialist who does not bat. Pairs with DP and can substitute for the DP throughout the game without using a conventional substitution.
• CR: Courtesy runner for pitcher or catcher. Allowed in fastpitch with two outs. Does not count as a substitution, the pitcher/catcher returns to the defensive position next inning.

Base Running

• SB: Stolen base
• CS: Caught stealing
• WP: Wild pitch (runner advanced because of it)
• PB: Passed ball (runner advanced because catcher missed the pitch)

The Unique Softball Rules You Need to Know for Scoring

1. DP and FLEX Tracking

In fastpitch, the DP (Designated Player) bats but does not play defense. The FLEX plays defense but does not bat. They can substitute for each other freely throughout the game without using a conventional substitution, but they cannot both bat in the same half-inning or both play defense at the same time.

On the scorecard: Write DP in the batting order slot (usually slot 10 or wherever the DP bats). Write FLEX in a dedicated row outside the batting order with the defensive position. When they swap in and out for each other, note "DP IN" or "FLEX OUT" with the inning number. You do not burn a substitute rotation for this.

This is the single biggest difference between softball and baseball scorekeeping. Practice it a few times in warmup games before the season, getting DP/FLEX right keeps you legal with the umpire.

2. Illegal Pitches

In baseball, the equivalent is a balk, which is called when a pitcher deceives a runner. In fastpitch, an illegal pitch is a mechanical violation, stepping off the rubber wrong, crow-hopping, double-pumping the arm, or starting the windup incorrectly.

On the scorecard: Mark IP in the pitcher log for each illegal pitch. If the illegal pitch is a called ball, add the ball to the count. If the batter hits it or walks on it, the offense can take the result instead of the penalty.

Track illegal pitches closely, a pitcher who repeatedly throws them has a mechanics issue that the pitching coach should see. Your scorecard is the evidence.

3. Courtesy Runners

In fastpitch, with two outs, a courtesy runner can replace the pitcher or catcher on base. This is optional, and the courtesy runner does not count as a substitution, the pitcher or catcher returns to their defensive position the next half-inning.

On the scorecard: Note "CR" in the substitute log with the inning and player name. Keep the pitcher's or catcher's original batting spot clean, they are still in the game, just not running.

4. Slowpitch 10th Fielder

Slowpitch typically uses 10 players on defense, with an extra "short fielder" positioned behind second base or in short center. Our softball scorecard has a 10th batting row and a position column that accommodates this.

Step-by-Step: Scoring Your First Softball Game

Before First Pitch

1. Write each player's name and jersey number in the batting order.
2. Fill in the defensive position each starter plays in inning 1 of the position columns.
3. If using DP/FLEX, mark DP next to the designated player in the batting order and FLEX with her defensive position in the FLEX row.
4. Fill in the header: date, field, start time, weather, scorer name, team names.
5. Have two sharpened pencils. No pens. You will make corrections, pencil lets you fix them cleanly.

During Each At-Bat

1. Watch the play. Wait for the umpire's call before marking anything.
2. In the diamond cell, record the result (K, BB, 1B, G6-3, etc.).
3. If the batter reached base, mark the corner of the diamond. If the batter reached first on a single, mark the first-base corner.
4. If runners advanced, trace lines between their diamonds showing the path.
5. If a runner scored, shade the center of the diamond.

At the End of Each Half-Inning

1. Total the runs, hits, errors, and left-on-base in the inning totals row at the bottom.
2. Mark where the inning ended (last batter + out count) so you know where to start next time that team bats.
3. Check the pitch count for the current pitcher, especially important in youth leagues with pitch count caps.

After the Game

1. Tally the pitching line: IP (innings pitched, counted in thirds, 6 ⅓ for 6.33), H, R, ER, BB, SO, HBP, IP (illegal pitches), WP, TBF.
2. Tally the batting line: AB, R, H, RBI per player. For stats that matter over a season, note AB totals for batting average calculation.
3. Double-check that every substitution is logged. The scorecard is the official record, if it is not on the card, it did not happen.

Common Softball Scoring Mistakes

Forgetting to mark DP/FLEX changes. This is the most common softball-specific error. DP/FLEX swaps are not conventional substitutions, coaches and umpires often blow past them without explicitly notifying the scorer. Watch the defensive lineup every inning. If the DP is playing defense and the FLEX is not, something happened; record it.

Recording courtesy runners as substitutions. In fastpitch, a CR for pitcher or catcher is not a substitution. The original player comes back next inning. Note "CR" in a clear, non-confusing way, some scorekeepers use a dedicated column rather than the sub rows.

Counting illegal pitches as balls only. An illegal pitch can be ball 4 for a walk, strike that ends the at-bat, or an ignored pitch if the offense takes the result. Mark the IP itself and also the eventual pitch result.

Mixing up "PB" (passed ball) and "WP" (wild pitch) in youth softball. Passed balls are more common than wild pitches in youth softball because catchers are still developing. Err on the side of charging PB when the ball gets past the catcher, the pitcher gets the benefit of the doubt unless it's clearly off-target.

Not tracking pitch count for both pitchers. Every pitcher's count matters if the league has limits. Our pitch tracker printables have room for two pitchers per page, which works for most youth softball games.

Score on Paper or Go Digital?

Paper scorecards are free, battery-proof, and produce a permanent record. They are also a great way to teach kids the game, players who learn to keep score learn softball five times faster than those who don't.

Digital scorekeepers (like our premium Dugout Edge scorekeeper) handle the post-game math automatically. Batting averages, OBP, SLG, ERA, pitch counts across games, all calculated instantly and fed back into next week's lineup. Useful when you are setting lineups based on who is hot.

Most coaches keep paper for game-day and use a digital tool for season stat tracking. Start with paper. Add digital when the post-game math gets annoying.

What to Download

• Free softball scorecard template to 7-inning and 9-inning formats with DP/FLEX tracking
• Free softball scorebook sheets: print and bind into your own scorebook
• Pitch count and rest days chart: Little League and USA Softball rules
• Virtual scoreboard: free digital tool for the scoreboard display in the dugout

Related Guides

• How to Keep Score in Baseball: the baseball companion to this guide
• Baseball Scorekeeping Symbols: every notation symbol, one page
• Softball Scorebook: every printable scorecard format we offer