Official Book/Score

• Each game has one official book used by GameChanger. This is the version of the scorekeeping used by and visible when viewing the game from the League schedule, not each team's schedule.
• GameChanger assigns the first team to click "Score Game" as the official book. It is critical that no team click "Score Game" until the official book is decided.
• By default, the Home team is the official book and responsible for scoring the game.
• Managers may agree to allow the Away team to record the official book. This may be for any number of reasons, most common being that the Home team's scorekeeper is not available or the Away team has an experienced GameChanger user that likes to score games (yes, there are a few of us out there.)
• Once the official scorekeeper starts the game by clicking "Score Game", both teams will see the game stream when viewing the game from their schedule or the League schedule.

If the wrong scorekeeper has clicked Score Game and become the official book, the official scorekeeper should continue scoring their game. Please reach out to the league admins at [email protected] and [email protected].
Provide the game details and which team's book should be the official book and it can be changed.

Personal Book/Score

• If the non-official scorekeeper clicks "Score Game" from their calendar after the official scoring has been started, a separate personal game stream will be created that overrides the official stream for that team only.
• This will operate similar to how we all know GameChanger to work already, where each team has their own scorekeeping if you view the game from the team's schedule.
• The official book and game stream can always be accessed by viewing the game via the League schedule.
• Official League pitch counts and plays are not affected by a personal book. 
• A personal book/scorekeeping is optional. The team not scoring the official book may choose to take the day off and not score the game.
  

Pitch Count

• The official book is the official pitch count for both teams.
• Both managers are responsible for the accuracy of the pitch count in the official book.
• Regardless of whether the team not scoring the official book chooses to score a personal book or not, the official game stream should be followed to verify the accuracy of the official book.

Defensive Play Time

• The Folsom American Little League bylaws outline required playing time for all divisions.
• New for 2026, GameChanger now tracks innings played per player per position! Folsom American Little League will refer to the official game books whenever playing time is challenged, therefore the accuracy is important.
• In the past when scoring the game only for your team, most scorekeepers ignore defensive changes, other than catcher and pitcher. Going forward, the official book must now track defensive position changes for both teams.
• The manager, coaches, or scorekeeper for the team not scoring the official book are encouraged to update the official scorekeeper with defensive changes. Positions tend to change a lot in Little League and it's difficult to catch them all, especially when you don't know the other players.
• Failure to keep the official book accurate will not be a valid excuse if playing time is challenged and the game book is referenced.

Play Scoring Accuracy

• The goal with these guidelines is not to put an emphasis on accurate "by the book" scoring of plays. We are parent volunteers, not MLB statisticians. This is youth rec baseball. No scout is looking at the stats and, per the bylaws, overall player stats for the team are not public.
• Scorekeeper are encouraged to try the best they can to learn GameChanger and how to properly score a play, but that is not the primary concern of the league.
• Count ALL pitches! There is a great emphasis on accurate pitch count. Below are reminders that often lead to an inaccurate pitch count:
  • Count all foul balls, even when they don't increase the strike count.
  • Per the bylaws, intentional walks are recorded as balls thrown until the at-bat reaches four (4) balls. DO NOT use the Intentional Walk button since it does not add to the pitch count.
  • ...more to come as we  experience them in game.
• With a shared game stream, recorded errors will be seen by all and are often a primary reason for scoring disagreements between parents. Best to avoid the nonsense when you can.
• Do not record errors in the AA Division. If they get on base, just mark it a hit. It simplifies scoring at a time when many are first getting introduced to using GameChanger. We promise it won't affect your pitcher's Cy Young chances in 15-years.
• Be lenient with recording errors in AAA and Major Divisions. Feel free to record obvious errors, but err on the side of no error for non-obvious plays.
  • A player moving to a ball and reaching for it and just missing should not be recorded as an error at this age, even if it touches their glove.
  • Obvious errors may be where the expectation is that any player with basic skills for this age would make the play 90% of the time, such as feet planted, glove in position, and the ball goes through the legs or in the glove and bounces out.
  • Be aware that the fields are not perfect and may cause what appears to be an obvious error. Scorekeepers are encouraged to shag balls at a practice one time and you will see that the ball often unexpectedly bounces, doesn't bounce when it should, or changes direction completely due to the field conditions. An easy ground ball that gets past an outfielder very well could be due to it hitting a mound of weeds or a gopher hole. 

More will be added and this guide will become more refined in time.

Many Folsom American Little League Board Members are experience GameChanger users. Feel free to reach out with questions. There are also many online resources.