Glenbrook South earns win behind Harrison’s arm

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Updated: June 4, 2011 5:06PM

Glenbrook South right-hander Luke Harrison said he wasn’t feeling his curveball in the bullpen before Thursday’s Central Suburban South game at Niles West.

But a funny thing happened when he took the real mound: He began to feel it. Over and over, in fact. And Harrison didn’t stop feeling his curveball until the final out was registered in his masterful complete-game 2-1 victory over a tough-luck Niles West club.

Harrison, a 6-foot-4, 200-pounder who recently committed to Indiana University, struck out 11, walked none, yielded three hits and no earned runs to improve to 7-0. Harrison carried a no-hitter into the fourth inning after he struck out six of the first nine batters he faced.

“I know my curveball has its good days and its bad days,” said Harrison, who has 67 strikeouts to eight walks this season. “Today was a good day. In the bullpen, my curveball wasn’t working at all. Once I threw one and got a strikeout, I got more confident with it.”

Harrison’s sterling outing negated an impressive pitching performance by Niles West senior right-hander Kenny Blanchard, who also tossed a three-hit complete game at the Titans (21-6, 12-1) with 10 strikeouts and one walk.

Only problem was, two of the hits Blanchard allowed were home runs, both delivered by junior second baseman Mike Reinisch. Reinisch staked Glenbrook South to a 1-0 in the second inning with a solo blast to left field, and he deposited the eventual game-winner in same vicinity in the fifth.

“I just got ahead and threw my hands,” said Reinisch, who has three home runs this season, all coming against Niles West. “Our pitching has been lights-out these days.”

Niles West (18-10, 5-7) threatened in the sixth, pushing one run across on junior shortstop Kevin Ross’s single, but stranded two runners when Harrison induced a groundout to get out of the jam. Niles West, which opened the season 18-3, has now dropped seven straight games, four of which have been by two runs or less.

Meanwhile, Glenbrook South is in position to claim its first Central Suburban South championship since the mid-1990s thanks to a stellar pitching staff, spearheaded by Harrison.

“Luke keeps the ball down, he locates his fastball anywhere he wants, and throws a lot of strikes,” said Glenbrook South coach Bob Rosinski.