By Camille Shooshani

Lucas Giolito ’12, the number one high school pitching prospect in the nation, was hurt in the league opener Tuesday afternoon and Coach Matt LaCour said he might be out for the season.

Giolito sprained his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow during the seventh inning of the game against Alemany, and underwent an MRI Wednesday morning, LaCour told the Los Angeles Times.

LaCour said Giolito would not require surgery but “is probably done for our season.”

Giolito and Alemany’s Cody Thompson faced off in the Mission League opener, where the Wolverines fell 2-1, their second straight loss.

Alemany is the team’s biggest league competition, meaning that this series could have a huge impact on league standings at the end of the year.

Neither Giolito nor Thompson gave up a hit in first inning but at the bottom of the second Peter Van Gansen’s single put runners in scoring position. With bases loaded and one out, a groundball let two runners score.

With bases loaded once again, Giolito caught the runner stealing home and the batter at first, ending the inning 2-0.

Giolito got another double play in the fourth inning on a ball that ricocheted back to him and then threw the runner out at second.

The Wolverines struggled to answer Alemany’s two runs against Thompson until the sixth inning when Andrew Wallach ’13 was hit by a pitch from Thompson, sending him to first. After Kenny Grodin ’13 struck out, Wallach stole second to put him in scoring position. Then, Ryan Vanderschans ’12 sent Wallach home to score Wolverine’s first and only run of the game.

In the middle of the seventh, Jack Flaherty ’12 relieved Giolito with one out and did not giving up any hits for the remainder of the inning.

Despite efforts by Casey Rosenfeld ’13 and Flaherty, the team could not score in the seventh inning to tie it up, leaving the Wolverine record at 4-2.

The Wolverines will try to outplay Alemany in the second game of the series Friday at Alemany.