The baseball hit with a thud to his lower chest, right by his heart.

The second baseman for the Carmel Hounds youth travel team — who didn’t see the catcher’s throw coming his way — collapsed on the field Sunday at Grand Park in Westfield.

As he lay motionless on the ground, his skin turning gray, coaches and parents rushed to help, administering CPR.

But the 13-year-old boy didn’t have a pulse. He wasn’t responding.

And then came the tool that ultimately saved his life: an automatic external defibrillator pulled from the concession stand.

An AED, which restores a regular heart rhythm during sudden cardiac arrest, is rarelyfound at a baseball field. Most youth leagues — travel, recreational or sanctioned Little League — don’t require them.

Little League Baseball and Softball, with about 2.5 million kids playing each year, recommends that local leagues have AEDs but doesn’t mandate that they do. The reason, according to the league, is cost.

Small, lower-income programs may not be able to afford a defibrillator, which on average costs about $2,000, according to the American Heart Association.

At Grand Park, a 400-acre sports complex with dozens of athletic fields, including 26 baseball fields, AEDs are stationed inside all concession stands and buildings, said Michelle Krcmery, marketing manager.

There are at least seven permanent defibrillators at the park, a decision that was made “in order to be prepared for an incident such as this,” she said, adding that the park’s safety protocols were written by the medical director at Westfield Fire Department, who is also a trauma physician.

“Youth sports embodies family, fun, healthy competitiveness and teamwork, so when a player is injured it is troubling to everyone involved, including the organization,” Krcmery said in an email to IndyStar. “As a continued measure, we are reviewing our public safety procedures as we speak to make sure we are always best equipped for an emergency.”

Baseball has a reputation as a non-violent, low-impact sport, and, for the most part, it is.

Though there is no organization that tracks deaths in youth baseball leagues, a limited study commissioned by USA Baseball between 1989 and 2010 found that 18 children younger than high school age died of baseball injuries. Most of those happened when a pitcher or batter was hit in the head by a ball.

The other deaths occurred when a high-speed ball hit a player in the chest, causing sudden cardiac arrest.

That’s what those at the game Sunday think happened in Westfield during the tournament. Scott Foppe, the coach of the opposing Rawlings Tigers from Ballwin, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis, was among three adults who administered CPR to the Carmel boy.

Foppe said he didn’t really want to talk about the incident. The story should be about the boy, his condition, his fight to live and not about a few adults who did what any adult would do, he said.

But Foppe did say one thing on the record.

“I think people should get the training,” he said, “especially coaches — high school, college, youth — you should all have the training in CPR.”

And there should, without question, be defibrillators stationed at every youth baseball field in America.

The Carmel player, whose name iis not being released because of privacy issues, was on second base Sunday. The game was in the third inning when a Tigers player tried to steal second and the Carmel boy didn’t see the catcher’s throw.

After paramedics arrived, he was taken to St. Vincent in Carmel and was in the ICU as of Sunday night. His condition as of Tuesday evening was not known.

Carmel Hounds coach Paul Wright, responding to an email from IndyStar, declined comment and referred the reporter to the Carmel Dads’ Club Travel Baseball, the league the Hounds play in.

An email to David Cutsinger, commissioner of Carmel Dads’ Club, and Jack Beery, president, was not immediately returned.

This isn’t the first time a serious youth baseball incident has happened in Indiana.

Dylan Williams, an 8-year-old boy from Union City, died in July 2013 when he was struck in the neck by a baseball. His death spurred a nonprofit to donate eight defibrillators to the area about 75 miles northeast of Indianapolis.

The Union City Baseball Boosters organization now requires all coaches to receive training in CPR and on how to use AEDs. One defibrillator was placed with Dylan’s family so they would always be able to help should an incident arise similar to what happened to their son. Another was put at the baseball diamonds where he was killed.

All athletes, no matter the sport, should be within four minutes of an AED and someone trained to use it, according to the American Red Cross. In fact, the organization says all Americans should be that close to one, athlete or not. Improved training and access to AEDs could save 50,000 lives each year, Red Cross says.

Momentum for AEDs in youth baseball is growing nationwide and in at least one league in Indianapolis. Broad Ripple Haverford Little League recently acquired two defibrillators for use at its games. The devices will be kept at the concession stands at its two fields.

Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a law that requires all baseball fields on city-owned land to have a defibrillator onsite during youth games. The bill was sponsored by city councilman Steven Matteo, a youth baseball coach, who said at the time the law would “save lives.”

The defibrillators and training on how to use them will be paid for by the city.

Westfield, too, pays for Grand Park training. All staff and support staff at the park are trained on CPR and using the defibrillators.

“In this case, we are extremely grateful for the quick reaction of the parents and the first responder, a Westfield police officer,” said Krcmery, “as they both contributed to saving this player’s life.”

Follow IndyStar reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow.