'I kind of just sprinted.' 2 Long Islanders rush to rescue umpire who collapsed during baseball game

A pair of Long Islanders rushed to the aid of an umpire who collapsed during a baseball game.

News 12 Staff

Jul 21, 2022, 10:10 PM

Updated 813 days ago

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A pair of Long Islanders rushed to the aid of an umpire who collapsed during a baseball game.
In the middle of an at-bat, the umpire collapsed and coaches from both sides ran in to help.
Andrew Aschettino, coach of the Long Island Titans travel baseball team, performed CPR on the umpire during a championship tournament in Georgia on Wednesday.
"Saw right away he wasn't breathing, took his pulse and started chest compressions," Aschettino says.
A player's mom, Rachel Cowan, then also ran over to help. Cowan is from Albertson and a nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn.
"I said to myself - 'I've got to get out there' - so I kind of just sprinted," Cowan says.
Cowan says the umpire collapsed from a number of factors - including the heat and his diabetes.
The umpire wasn't breathing at first, but Cowan and Aschettino were able to get a steady pulse back before the ambulance arrived.
Aschettino also coaches at St. Joe's in Patchogue. He says all of his players are ready to sign up to learn CPR when they get home.