It took Gerrit Cole less than one inning into his second career start with the Altoona Curve to get his first professional scare.

Harrisburg's Destin Hood shot a line drive which bounced off Cole's neck in the first inning of Altoona's 8-3 loss to the Senators on Tuesday. Cole was face down in front of the mound for a few moments before standing up with the help of Curve players, coaches, and training staff.

Cole, the Pirates top prospect, finished the inning but not before allowing three runs on five hits. Curve manager P.J. Forbes would not let Cole return to the mound for the second inning, and he was taken to a Harrisburg hospital to undergo more tests.

"They're doing some tests, CT, just to check him out," Forbes said. "Any time there's any trauma to the head, you want to err on the side of caution, obviously. He hopped up and said, 'Where's my hat? Where's the ball? Let's go.' It shows how tough of a kid he is."

Cole was not available to the media following the game.

The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft earned plenty of hype going into Tuesday's game. After dominating the Class A Florida State League this spring with a 5-1 record and 2.55 ERA, Cole dazzled in his Curve debut, thowing six strikeouts in five innings while allowing two runs.

Altoona faces Harrisburg in the second game of a three game series Wednesday at 12 p.m.