Forfeit
A game awarded to one team because the other cannot field a legal lineup, does not arrive within the grace period, or is removed by the director.
A forfeit in youth baseball is most often about numbers, not misconduct. Teams carry eleven or twelve players, and a Saturday with two sick and one at a wedding puts a team under the minimum. Most events set that minimum at eight or nine and give a grace period past the scheduled start before the game is awarded.
The recorded score matters more than it seems, because of the tiebreakers. A forfeit is usually entered as a set score — 7-0 and 6-0 are both common conventions — precisely so it does not distort run differential. A forfeit recorded as an actual blowout would hand the winning team a seeding advantage it did not earn on the field.
Directors generally try hard to avoid recording one. Lending players between teams, playing a shortened exhibition that does not count, or rescheduling within the day are all ordinary, and all better for a tournament than a family driving home having played nothing.
Whatever the policy is, it belongs in the rules packet with a number in it: the minimum players, the grace period in minutes, and the score a forfeit is recorded as.
A forfeit is entered as a final in Bleacher Notes like any other result, so the bracket advances and the standings update without anyone needing to have scored a game that was never played.
How many players are needed to avoid a forfeit?
Most youth tournaments set the minimum at eight or nine players. The exact number and any grace period should be stated in the event's rules packet.
What score is recorded for a forfeit?
A set score, commonly 7-0 or 6-0, rather than an actual result. Using a fixed score keeps the forfeit from distorting run-differential tiebreakers.
Let the scorebook keep itself.
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