By Colin Sallee
Area Scout

HIGHLAND PARK, IL - A gloomy, wet afternoon proved to be a significant one for the CSL North champion Glenbrook North Spartans, as they returned to the winning column on Wednesday, defeating the Highland Park Giants 11-4.

The Spartans, (26-6, 14-2 CSL North) who saw their nine-game winning streak come to an end Tuesday afternoon against Hersey, wasted no time getting on the board as each of the first six batters would come around to score in the first, chasing the Giants’ (9-24) starting pitcher, senior Bradley Kaplan after one inning of work.

Senior LHP Peter Koulogeorge got the nod for Glenbrook North, and battled some less-than-ideal conditions to work four no-hit innings before surrendering a base knock up through the six-hole to senior infielder Gabe Ogron to lead off the fifth.

Koulogeorge overcame some control issues throughout his outing, as he walked five, in addition to hitting one. The senior showed poise throughout his start, something his coach anticipated.

“We got a very mature performance from Peter today,” said head coach Dom Savino. “He was pitching with a lead all game and was able to go right at guys, for the most part. The team overall bounced back well. They’re a mature bunch, so I wouldn’t expect much less.”

Walks and a few miscues in the field put the Giants in scoring position for five of the seven innings played. Koulogeorge continued to compete with a fastball/curveball combination, keeping Hiighland Park off balance. The senior southpaw kept the ball on the ground, totaling seven ground balls during his outing.

Highland Park would be pushed to the brink in their home half of the fifth, after a Matt Tedeschi two-run single extended the Spartan’s lead to 11-0 in the top half of the frame.

Senior Sam Nevers deposited a 1-0 fastball from Koulogeorge over the centerfield fence in the bottom of the fifth, scoring senior Justin Halpern who walked the previous at-bat, trimming the lead to 11-2, avoiding a shortened mercy-rule contest. It was Nevers only hit of the day, and second long ball of the year.

Junior Jordan Kaplan came on in relief, letting the first hitter he faced reach, before retiring the final eight batters he faced. Highland Park tallied four total runs in the fifth.

The Spartan’s bats were active all day, scratching out 11 runs on 10 hits, paced by senior right fielder David Burnside (Rose-Hulman signee), who reached base in all five of his plate appearances, walking four times, singling hard to center field, and scoring twice. Burnside also stole a base.

Senior leftfielder Danny Ahern was also in the thick of things, gathering three RBI on two singles while also scoring twice.

Glenbrook North will conclude regular season play on Saturday with a double-header at Libertyville starting at 10:30.

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