MIAMI --- The ballpark fell silent as fans rose in alarm after a foul ball felled Florida Marlins rookie Logan Morrison in the on-deck circle.
Morrison was quickly back on his feet but out of the game. His spot in the lineup was filled by recent minor league call-up Scott Cousins, who had fans standing again moments later, this time to cheer a wild victory.
A single by Cousins -- his first hit as a big leaguer -- drove in the winning run with none out in the 10th inning Sunday, completing a dramatic swing of emotions as the Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves 7-6.
"Definitely a roller-coaster," Cousins said. "You go from, 'Oh no, here's one of our hottest bats in the lineup going down,' to 'This nobody just hit a walk-off.' You can't really describe that. It's just crazy."
Cousins was summoned after Emilio Bonifacio lined a foul that struck Morrison on the left cheek. Morrison's helmet flew off and he collapsed face-down, but moments later he walked off the field accompanied by a trainer.
"He's a tough kid. He wanted to keep playing," said teammate Dan Uggla, the first player to reach Morrison. "It's as hard as I've seen anybody get hit in the face with a baseball. ... It missed the eye, thank goodness. Hopefully nothing is broken."
Uggla said he saw no blood, but Morrison's cheek swelled. He was taken to a hospital for tests, and was able to accompany the team to Philadelphia for a series beginning today.
Despite the loss, Atlanta held its one-game lead over Philadelphia in the NL East.
Bonifacio lined the next pitch for a leadoff triple against Eric O'Flaherty (3-2). Cousins, who made his major league debut Friday, batted for Morrison and became an improbable star when he pulled a deep fly over the head of left fielder Melky Cabrera.
The Braves overcame a 6-0 deficit and nearly went ahead. But with Florida up 6-4 in the sixth inning, a leaping Cameron Maybin reached above the center-field wall to rob Atlanta's Nate McLouth of a grand slam.
"Maybin took a home run away, and that's the ballgame," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "If not for that, we win."
Instead, the Marlins won when they ended a streak of 15q consecutive scoreless innings by the Atlanta bullpen.
"I could have made two better pitches," O'Flaherty said. "It's very frustrating when you blow a game."
Retiring Braves manager Bobby Cox has received an assortment of going-away gifts this year from other teams.
The Florida Marlins gave Cox a snub.
Florida's series against Atlanta ended without a ceremony for Cox, who criticized Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria earlier this season after he fired former protege Fredi Gonzalez as their manager in June.
-- Associated Press
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