May 30, 2026 · Andrew Leonenko

If you raised your hand to keep the book this season, welcome. Scorekeeping looks intimidating from the stands, but the system is simple once someone shows you the ropes. This guide will get you ready to score your first softball game.

Set up before the first pitch

Write your team in the batting order, with each player's name, number, and position. Softball uses the same fielder numbers as baseball, with the pitcher as 1 and the catcher as 2, moving around the infield and out to the three outfielders.

Score each at bat

Each box is one batter for one plate appearance. Record the result inside the box and trace the runner around the diamond when they reach base. A ground out from shortstop to first is 6 to 3. A strikeout is a K. A walk is BB. Fill in the small diamond when a runner scores so you can count runs at a glance.

Common plays you will see a lot

• Singles and extra base hits recorded as 1B, 2B, 3B, and HR
• Walks and hit by pitch recorded as BB and HBP
• Errors recorded as E with the fielder number, such as E5
• Stolen bases recorded as SB, which happen often in fastpitch

Tips to keep it stress free

• Use a pencil so you can fix mistakes cleanly.
• Confirm the count and outs out loud with the umpire if you fall behind.
• Do not panic on a wild play. Note what you can and clean it up between innings.
• Total runs, hits, and errors at the end of each inning so nothing piles up.

Make the season easier

Scoring by hand keeps you connected to the game, and you do not have to do the math alone. With the Scorebooker app you can scan a finished page from your Scorebooker scorebook and get clean stats to share with the team, so all your hard work in the book turns into a record everyone can enjoy.

Keep score for a few games and you will be amazed how quickly it clicks. The team is lucky to have someone willing to track the story of the season.