High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand. Softball is played on a smaller diamond than in baseball; a softball field's average distances from home plate to the center, left and right field fences are 220 feet (67 meters) for females and 250 feet (75 meters) for males (the corresponding baseball field average distances are 410 and 325 feet ). Despite the game's name, the standard softball is not soft; in fact, it is harder than a baseball.