Soft/Baseball Scoring Question

In a seven-inning game, the pitcher of record is the pitcher who finished the fourth...so I think it would be the starter since the reliever only finished the third and wouldn't have qualified for the win.

I believe only relief pitchers that finish after the fourth inning can get credit for a win.

 

No.

The pitcher of record is the pitcher who was in the game when his or her team took the lead for the final time. It has nothing to do with who pitched what inning.

The only time the four-inning requirement comes into play is when the starter fails to go four innings but leaves with his team holding a lead it does not subsequently relinquish. And the only pitcher who has that requirement is the starter. A reliever can enter at any point in any inning and receive a win, regardless of how long or when he or she pitched.

Again, in this case, the reliever entered the game with the score tied. While she was the pitcher, her team subsequently took the lead. Therefore she is the winning pitcher.

You could have a reliever enter in the top of the first trailing 6-0 and get out of the inning. His team could then score 7 in the bottom of the first. He could then be replaced at the start of the second inning by a pitcher who finishes the game. And if that team did not relinquish the lead, the first reliever would get the win.