Haas, Hersey edge Fremd for MSL title

Hersey senior Trevor Haas had come a long way in 10 months when he took the mound for Friday’s Mid-Suburban League baseball championship game at Fremd.

Late last summer, Haas was in the hospital twice for a total of nearly 10 days to have a blood clot removed from his right arm. He also had part of a rib taken out.

“I always thought I would come back,” Haas said. “I knew I would come back and pitch. When or how good it would be, I didn’t know.”

Haas, who came back to play basketball for the Huskies, was back on the mound when the season started to help their drive to an MSL East title. The right-hander displayed just how good he could be on a picture-perfect late afternoon before a big crowd in Palatine.

Haas scattered 6 hits in 6 innings and Mike Danielak came in to get the final out as Hersey (25-8) claimed its third MSL title and first since 1992 with a 3-1 victory.

“He’s had that kind of year,” said Hersey coach Bob Huber after Haas improved to 5-2. “Considering where he was, laying in a hospital bed at the end of July, you wondered if he was going to be able to play any athletics again.”

No one is wondering any longer as Haas, who has a weighted 5.1 grade-point average on a 5.0 scale and a 31 ACT, is considering Valparaiso and UIC for his college baseball future.

Haas combined a fastball with a curveball and changeup that got better as the game went on to scatter 6 hits. He had 7 strikeouts and no walks and hit 2 batters as he threw 71 of his 112 pitches for strikes.

“Once he started to get in a groove we knew he would have a pretty good game,” said Hersey left fielder Brad Moore, who had a tiebreaking squeeze bunt single with the bases loaded in a 3-run fourth.

“Everything started feeling better and I was hitting my spots,” said Haas said. “It’s a lot easier when you’re hitting your spots.”

Fremd (18-16) provided the shocking early jolt in a game where each team entered with just 2 homers. Sophomore Sam Beutler, who was called up to the varsity two weeks ago, took Haas’ first pitch of the second inning over the fence in left field for a 1-0 lead.

“In a championship game stuff like that is going to happen and you move on from there,” Haas said.

“I was a little concerned early because he didn’t look good Monday in relief,” Huber said, “and he didn’t look super great to start.”

Haas got some defensive help in the third as Sean Reszotko threw out Josh Jyawook (2-for-4) trying to steal. After Zach Kolakowski doubled and took third on a wild pitch, Hersey brought the infield in and second baseman Sean Hardiman threw out Kolakowski trying to score on Jack Andersen’s grounder.

Andersen (7-3) left the bases loaded in the third on a nice charging play by second baseman Grant Dunham. But Hersey threatened again in the fourth on an infield single by Reszotko (2-for-3) and a walk to Nick Nolan.

After pop out on a bunt, Josh Koutnik lined an 0-2 fastball through the left side for a tying single.

“I always think look fastball and adjust off-speed,” Koutnik said. “I was surprised because the other at-bat I smoked one to shortstop, so I was surprised I got that good of a pitch. I saw the ball really well today.”

David Milligan walked to load the bases and Moore pushed a perfect bunt to the right side past Andersen on a 2-1 pitch.

“I had a feeling the squeeze might come on and once I saw the sign I knew I had to do it,” Moore said.

Tyler Perkowitz followed with a sacrifice fly to center. Andersen didn’t allow another hit as he went 5 innings and Lee Breitzman finished with 2 innings of 1-hit relief.

“Jack battled considering he didn’t have his usual off-speed stuff,” said Fremd coach Chris Piggott. “We had some chances but the difference was they came up with the big hit.

“(Koutnik) did a nice job of hitting it hard and finding the hole. That was probably the momentum-changer there.”

Haas pitched around a pair of one-out singles by Keith Browning and Jyawook in the fifth and retired seven in a row before hitting Browning with two outs in the seventh.

Huber called on Danielak and the MSL East co-player of the year threw only one pitch as Jyawook grounded to Koutnik at first for the out which ended a 20-year title drought.

“We all came and watched the game a couple of years ago,” Koutnik said of Hersey’s 1-0 loss at Fremd. “It’s awesome. We wanted to get this one for coach Huber.”