Auburn pitcher Ashlee Swindle left Friday night’s NCAA Tournament game after being hit in the head by a line drive.
The Tigers were facing Colorado State in their first game of the Tuscon Regional and leading 9-5 in the fifth. Swindle was facing Ashley Ruiz with one out and one on, and Ruiz lined a comebacker at Swindle. Swindle was unable to get a glove up and got hit in the head by the ball. She went down instantly.
The @espn feed of Auburn pitcher Ashlee Swindle stopping that CSU line drive is gut-wrenching. Swindle was carted off with an ice back over her face. #NCAASoftball pic.twitter.com/LXspgEQJqs
— Christopher Boan (@cgboan) May 18, 2019
Scary moment at Hillenbrand as Auburn pitcher Ashlee Swindle was carted off the field after taking a line drive to the face. pic.twitter.com/oGvZJcJl5k
— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) May 18, 2019
The stadium went silent and Swindle was carted off the field after being hit.
Chardonnay Harris, who started the game for the Tigers, re-entered the circle for Auburn after Swindle was hit. Swindle, the team’s leader in innings pitched, entered the game 10-8 with a 3.04 ERA on the season.
The incident recalled memories of the traumatizing situation Team USA pitcher Paige Lowary went through in 2016 when she was hit in the face by a line drive. Lowary later ended up wearing a mask while pitching, which is something some softball pitchers do for protection considering the circle is only 43 feet away from the plate.
