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Young ballplayer revived after heart stops beating when hit by pitch

ROHNERT PARK, Calif., April 15 (UPI) -- An 8-year-old baseball player in Rohnert Park, Calif., was revived after his heart stopped when he was struck in the chest by a baseball, officials said.

The boy was at bat in a game between 8- to 10-year-olds Saturday when he was hit by a pitched ball, took several steps to first base and collapsed. Two off-duty paramedics at the game, Dan and Susan Farren, rushed to the boy and initiated resuscitation efforts. Public safety personnel soon arrived and used a defibrillator to restart his heart, The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat reported Monday.

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Aaron Johnson, director of baseball operations for Rohnert Park Cal Ripken Baseball, declined to give the boy's name, but parents and others posting on the league's Facebook page identified him as Matthew Henry.

The boy was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where Johnson said he found him "talking to his coach, asking about his game statistics."

He was later transferred to Oakland Children's Hospital, the newspaper said.

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