Injured player: Tars’ Rowe ‘fine’

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - Ryan Rowe, a Newport Harbor High junior baseball

player injured in an outfield collision with a teammate Monday afternoon,

was recovering from surgery several hours later to relieve pressure from

bleeding blood vessels in his skull, Newport Harbor Coach Joel Desguin

said.

Rowe, playing right field in the Sailors’ Pride of the Coast

Tournament home game against Santa Ana, collided with center fielder

Andre Pinesett while chasing a fly ball hit between the two players.

Rowe, reportedly slid before the two players met, resulting in his

head striking Pinesett’s knee. Rowe, who sustained a concussion, was

knocked out by the blow, Desguin said. He quickly regained consciousness,

according to Desguin, who spoke with the injured player as he remained in

the outfield, before an ambulance arrived to transport him to Hoag

Hospital.

“The doctor said it was blood vessels that were bleeding, not his

brain,” Desguin, speaking for Rowe’s parents, said at 8:45 p.m., soon

after Rowe had come out of surgery and been taken to recovery.

“The doctor said everything went according to the textbook and things

could not have gone better, in terms of getting him to the hospital

immediately,” Desguin said. “They’re obviously going to keep a close eye

on him tonight and he’ll probably be in the hospital for at least a

couple days. But they think he’s going to be fine.”

Desguin, who said Rowe never lost consiousness after coming to in the

outfield, noted there was no damage to his neck or spine an no

significant injuries to his face.

Pinesett was not seriously hurt, Desguin said.

The events generated by the collision took obvious precedence over the

Sailors’ 12-7 victory, which included a two-run triple by senior third

baseman Jon Vandersloot, who went 3 for 4 to pace a nine-hit Newport

attack.

Ryan Torrey pitched five strong innings to record the victory, which

also included an RBI double by Mike Jones.