Thankfully ASA and HS require facemasks

[RKBUmp]

Worked a freshman game yesterday not expecting anything major to happen. How hard can freshman pitchers throw and how well can any of them really hit?

Runner on 3rd, is taking huge lead down the line just in foul territory on the pitch. Big girl up to bat and pitcher lays a belt high pitch on the inside half of the plate. Batter turns on the pitch and hits about the hardest line drive I have ever seen right down the 3rd base line, runner never had a chance. She was kind of in mid stride with her right hand up when the ball was hit. Ball caught her in the hand driving it back into her face mask and ball hit her dead center in the facemask. The impact immediately took the helmet off her head and threw it back about 15' and lifted the girl off her feet and dumped her on her back.

The girl got up and dusted herself off. The only apparent injury was a split and bleeding fingernail from getting smashed into her facemask. If she hadnt had a facemask on, the ball would have gotten her square in the nose and or mouth. Would not have been pretty.