RENO - Nevada's pitching staff took a big hit when it was learned that Carson High grad Owen Brolsma suffered a torn tendon in his right elbow last Saturday against Louisiana Tech, and will miss the rest of the season.
Brolsma, who wasn't active for the three-game series against Fresno State, had an MRI done on Friday. He will undergo the Tommy John surgery as soon as his family and the school decide on a doctor.
The surgery, which used to take several hours, is now a 90-minute procedure. When John, a southpaw pitcher had surgery in the mid-1970s, Dr. Frank Jobe took a tendon from his wrist and moved it to the elbow. Pitchers Kerry Wood and John Smoltz have had the surgery in recent years.
"I felt good all weekend," said a disconsolate Brolsma, who was 2-0 with a 4.00 ERA in a team-best 16 relief appearances. "I threw a lot everyday. I had just come in (in the 5th inning). I threw a pitch and I felt a big sting. I threw another and it hurt, and I came out right after that.
"There's nothing I can do. I'd just like to have surgery as soon as possible because I'd like to be back as quickly as possible."
Nevada coach Gary Powers said rehab varies by the individual, but the usual recovery time is a good year. He was disappointed that he'll be without Brolsma for the rest of the year and that Brolsma might have to redshirt next season.
"I feel so bad for him," Powers said. "You never want to see that happen. It's a tough break.
"He was just starting to come around; to figure things out. He was gaining confidence in himself, and we were gaining confidence in him. He was someone we were starting to count on. Somebody else is going to have to step up."
GRAHAM GOES DEEP
Freshman Austin Graham, who acted as Nevada's designated hitter, slugged a two-run homer in the sixth to cap Nevada's scoring. It was his third-round-tripper and boosted his average to .346.
"I didn't know I was going to start," Graham said. "I never know if I'm going to be playing. I just come out here day after day."
Graham did make a baserunning mistake in the third after singling. He broke for second on a short passed ball, but didn't realize that teammate Chris Gimenez hadn't committed to third. Gimenez got caught in a rundown, slipped and was eventually tagged hard in the cheek by Ryan Haag.
Both benches cleared briefly, but no punches were thrown, and nobody was ejected. In the fourth, FSU's Eddie Romero buzzed a fastball over his head, and at that point both benches were warned.
"I wasn't expecting that," Gimenez said about the hard tag. "I had slipped (and fell) and had nowhere to go."
THIS AND THAT
Nevada has now scored 20 runs in back-to-back games for the first time since 1997 when the Wolf Pack knocked off Sacramento State 23-3 and 22-15... Robert Marcial matched a career-high with four hits in five at-bats. The last time he had four hits was also against Fresno State last May ... Adam Colton, a junior, gets the start today against Fresno State. First pitch is at 1 p.m.
Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1281.