Help with beer pong baseball game design

[mfader]

I am designing a game that is like beer pong, but based on baseball. The solo cups go on the "bases" and if you get the ball in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or home "base" (cup), you drink the corresponding cup. I have been to casinos where there are lights on under plastic chip sized discs, and when you put the chip over it, the light goes out. My question is: Is there a way to have a switch under the cups, so that when a cup is lifted, an LED lights up under it, and stays on after the cup is put back down, to simulate a "runner on first", i will try to figure out the programming so that all "hits" advance the runners properly (ie. a single followed by a double would light up the second and third base lights, and so on), but i am unsure how to recognize a single after another single, because the LED is already on, and dont know how to recognize it. If anyone could help me out, and point me in the direction of where to purchase parts, that would help. I am an electrician, so I dont grasp electronics the best, but understand the switching and programming somewhat.

Thanks in advance,
Matt

 

[(*steve*)]

The easy solution would be a plunger operated microswitch which simply has the plunger pushed down by the cup.

The trick is finding one that would work if an empty cup (especially a disposable plastic one) was placed on top of it.

A more tricky solution is to have a LED/photodiode under the cup so that the photodiode sees a reflection of the LED when the cup is in place.