OK that makes sense now (after reading it 15 times or so, .) The bat was illegal because it was 'forward' - is it correct to say that when we are dealing with batting, and batting the ball forward, that each team's end line is what determines forward, not just the original direction of A? Not sure if that makes sense, even when I read it. If A would be penalized for batting a ball forward towards their end line, on the same play, for B to have a batting foul, would it have to be in the same direction as A's batting foul, or forward toward B's end line?
I think the answer is B's bat would have to be opposite direction of A's to be considered forward, just want to make sure/clarify.
Some concepts are very difficult for me to mentally picture/remember, and batting is one of them (another one being rules around motion/shift... no matter how much I read the rules, rewrite them, create cheat sheets/study cards, I just have a hard time getting certain things to stick.)
2-9-1 defines Forward and Backward. Toward your opponent's end line is forward. Any other direction is backward (related to that team). In this instance, Team B batted a loose ball (other than a pass) forward (toward A's end line), and that is illegal. However, as Legacy pointed out, batting a loose ball
in flight does not change its impetus. So, in this case, impetus remains with A's fumble; thus, when it goes OB in the A's end zone, A is responsible for the ball becoming dead behind their own goal line (despite B's batting of the ball), and that is a safety. However, B's batting is illegal, so A will accept the penalty, which would be a 3 and 1 enforcement relative to the end of the run (the spot of the fumble, in this case) if that spot is beyond the NZ, or from the NZ if the end of the run is behind the NZ. The distance penalty is 10 yards, with the down repeated, unless the penalty places the ball beyond the line to gain, yielding a new series for Team A.
And, by the way, due to the apparent safety, the game clock will next start on the snap.
The announcement would not address the natural result of the down (safety). It would simply be: "Illegal batting; number 44, defense. That's a 10-yard penalty; repeat 3rd down. Clock operator: the game clock will start on the snap."