Watching Hinsdale Central senior Nick Kurash pitch, it's not surprising to find out that he admires Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt.

"I love that guy," Kurash said.

After all, the two have something in common. They throw the ball much harder than you'd think they can.
The 6-foot, 185-pound Oswalt helped lead the Astros to the World Series with his 95 mph fastball, while the 5-11, 170-pound Kurash helped the Florida Bombers win the 2005 National Wood Bat Championship with a fastball clocked at 94 mph.

"When I was younger, I would always long toss and threw a lot," Kurash, a Miami of Ohio recruit, said of how he attained his velocity.

On Monday, Kurash (2-0) used his two-seam fastball, knuckle-curveball and slider to throw a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts and no walks as Hinsdale Central blanked top-10 area-ranked Andrew 2-0 in Hinsdale.

"I felt real good out there," said Kurash, who threw 96 pitches in short sleeves despite cool temperatures.

"Last game I went three (no-hit) innings and I was pretty tired. I long tossed a lot, got my arm strength back up there. I just prepared myself mentally that I could pitch all seven. I could have gone longer if I wanted to."

Hinsdale Central (3-0) bunched three of its four hits in a two-run first inning but also struck out 11 times. Brett Suchy's two-out single to right-center field scored Tobi Adeyemi (hit by a pitch) and Mark Noth (single).

"I was down 0-2 and I figured a curveball was coming," said Suchy, who guessed right. "We just have to make key hits like that.

"These guys were ranked No. 7 and we knew we had to come out and have a good game, and we did. This is a great opportunity for us to get our name out there and maybe get ranked."

Kurash looks to be making a name for himself after overcoming past control problems. He struck out seven of the first nine batters he faced and hit the corners effectively to get six called third strikes.

"Over the offseason, I worked on control a lot, made sure I could throw strikes when I wanted to," Kurash said. "Now I'm just carrying on through the season."

"Nick was just dominant," Hinsdale Central coach Tom Dorrance said. "The way he pitched, I hate to say it, but that's almost what we expect of him."

What Kurash's teammates expect is little action when he pitches.

"Nick's a man," said left fielder Suchy said. "We kind of get bored out there, but it's great to see him pitch. We yell stuff (to pass the time) -- like our nicknames."

The only hit Kurash gave up was a one-out single up the middle to No. 2 batter Scott Foley in the fourth inning. Foley was doubled off first after center fielder Adeyemi made a diving, backhanded grab in left-center.

The Red Devils also turned a 4-6-3 double play after their only error, catcher Noth threw out Ed Nykiel trying to steal second after he was hit by a pitch and third baseman Alex Bellusci made a fine backhanded stop.

"I'm happy with the way we're playing," Dorrance said. "We're not where we want to be, especially offensively and defensively, but I hope that we continue to get better. I think it's going to be a fun year for us."

On March 22, host Hinsdale Central beat Homewood-Flossmoor 6-3 behind Colin Cimala (2 for 2, 3 RBIs), 2005 all-conference pick Brett Morse (1 for 3, RBI, 2 runs), Suchy (RBI single) and winning pitcher Kasey Ourada (3 innings, 3 hits, 6 strikeouts, 2 walks).


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