Malisheski, Wauconda sock it to Carmel

The recently purchased stirrup socks of Wauconda pitcher Kevin Malisheski don't stink.

Truth be told, hitters have been whiffing, so to speak.

"I started wearing them about three weeks ago," Malisheski said. "It's been like a feel-good thing. Maybe it's a superstition. I'm just playing well when I wear them."

Malisheski stood out again Monday, and not just because of the gold-striped, purple stirrups, which none of his teammates wear. Malisheski pitched 6-plus scoreless inning of 2-hit ball, as Wauconda shut out fifth-seeded Carmel Catholic 3-0 in the Class 3A Carmel regional final.

"Wow, he's special," Corsairs coach Dann Giesey said. "He's certainly one of the best pitchers we've faced this year. He was getting it up there. We had a couple of innings where we had some opportunities, but he found a way to make pitches."

The victory earned No. 4 Wauconda (16-15) a berth in Wednesday's 4 p.m. sectional semifinal against No. 8 Marian Central at Grayslake Central. It also gave the Bulldogs their second regional championship in three years.

And while Malisheski also went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI doubles at the plate, Wauconda did other things well against Carmel (16-20). Catcher Luke Weller threw out a would-be base stealer, and sophomore shortstop Jacob Bicknase made a diving catch of a popup to keep the Corsairs' leadoff hitter in the fourth off the bases. Wauconda also executed three sacrifice bunts - by Jack Weller, Bicknase and Brian McFarlin - in as many attempts.

"That's what it takes in these kinds of games," Bulldogs coach Bill Sliker said of his team's bunting. "You got to execute."

With scouts from Ball State, Illinois State and Miami (Ohio) in attendance, Malisheski executed better than anyone on the field. The 6-foot-3 junior righty walked four but struck out eight, including the side in the fifth.

"He was pretty legit," said Carmel second baseman Ryan Jones, who was one of just three seniors that Giesey started. "We faced (Joliet Catholic's Drake) Fellows and (Nick) Dalesandro and (Lake Forest's Cal) Coughlin, and he was up there with them."

Malisheski's double scored Collin Shrader (1-for-3, walk) in the bottom of the first, and that's all Wauconda's ace needed. The Bulldogs took advantage of an infield error, and got another run-scoring double from Malisheski in a 2-run fifth.

After Joey Lake reached on an error leading off the Carmel seventh, Sliker lifted Malisheski. Left-hander Drake Berman put another runner on base via a walk but struck out two, including the final hitter, to notch the save.

Carmel stranded 8 runners on base, including two in each of the last two innings. Lake and Cooper Johnson had the only hits off Malisheski.

"He was around the zone," Sliker said of his pitcher. "I felt his velocity was up, and he helped himself out at the plate. He was a one-man wrecking crew."

"In the beginning of the game, I tried to overpower a few people, and that's why some (pitches) were high," Malisheski said. "But I felt really good."

Giesey feels good about his team going forward. Division-I recruits Johnson (Ole Miss) and Joe Santoro (Army) will be back, and freshman Austin Ehren provided a spark late in the season after a call-up. Ehren started in right field against Wauconda. From the leadoff spot in the batting order, he walked twice and put down a sacrifice bunt.

"He added a dimension that we needed, which was speed and bunting," Giesey said. "He's a natural center fielder."