Sports Reporter Struck With Baseball During On-Air Report -- But Check Out How Fast She Recovers

Television news reporters and anchors have to be ready to cope with unpredictable on-air events and happenings -- and the same rule applies for most sports journalists, specifically those doing live shots. This is a lesson that Fox Sports Wisconsin's Sophia Minnaert learned on Saturday night.

While in the middle of a television report during the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. the Milwaukee Brewers (the Pirates won 5 to 2) game, a stray baseball struck the reporter. The startling event led Minnaert to drop her microphone -- and a few seconds of awkward silence ensued.

The surprised sports journalist sported a look of bewilderment, scrambled and then got back on track with her report.

Yahoo! Sports' Mark Townsend has more about the debacle:

Having reviewed the broadcast, I can tell you it was not a foul ball as it's described in the MLB video. The inning had not started yet, so it was likely an errant throw from a Brewers player looking to give away a souvenir. Still, as you can tell by the sound and impact, it had a little mustard on it, and could have done some damage had she been struck in the head or face.

Thankfully, that wasn't the case, so Minnaert was able to quickly recover her microphone and collect herself. She then continued on with the report as if nothing had happened, which was impressive. If you watch the video all the way through, you'll also see she took her ribbing from the Brewers broadcast crew in stride, so she passes both the 'professional under fire' and 'good sport' portions of her test with flying colors.

In reality, it's lucky for Minnaert that the ball didn't hit her in the head or face, as she would have potentially sustained some serious injuries. Plus, considering how fast she reacted and proceeded with her news report, she must be given some major credit. Work well done, Minnaert.

Watch the incident, below:

(H/T: Yahoo! Sports)