Hit by pitch, or swing batter batter

[Round the Horn]

I have a question at this weekend's high school game. There were 2 strikes on the batter. The next pitch, the batter swings, and the ball hits the batter on the hands/arm somewhere (we think above the wrist, but not sure), and the ball travels towards the pitcher. The batter is awarded 1st base. But then an appeal is made to the BU.

After some discussion, the batter is ruled out.

When is a batter out in that situation, where does the ball have to hit the batter, and wouldn't it have just been a foul/dead ball?

[wadeintothem]

Dead ball .. yes
Foul Ball .. no.

On a swinging 3rd strike where the pitch hits the batter - the ball is dead and the batter is out.

[Bretman]

Based on the assertation that the batter was hit "above the wrists", the speculation that this should have been a foul ball and the question of where the pitch needs to hit the batter, I'm going to guess that the poster of this question is under the mistaken belief that "the hands are part of the bat".

Simply put, the hands are NOT part of the bat- they are part of the BATTER. If a pitched ball touches any part of the batter's person- which includes her hands, any part of her body, or any properly worn equipment or clothing- then you have a hit batter.

Anytime a batter is hit by a pitch while in the act of swinging at it, the ball is dead, a strike is added to the count and, if it is the third strike, the batter is out.

I wonder what the appeal to the base umpire was all about? Was this "swing" a checked swing? If so, then if the plate umpire initially ruled the pitch a ball (no swing), then awarding first base could be the right call. If the defense appealed the checked swing, and the base umpire ruled that she did swing, then you have a third strike and an out.

The only other possibility is that the plate umpire had the rule about a batter hit while swinging wrong, the base umpire was asked to clarify and provided the correct ruling and the plate umpire reversed his call to get it right.