Baseball: Berman, Wauconda continue to deliver

As Wauconda's baseball team continues to roll, Drake Berman keeps flourishing in his new role.

Used as a late-inning reliever last season during the Bulldogs' sectional-championship run, the senior left-hander on Wednesday did what he's done all spring - turn in a quality start on the mound.

Berman allowed just 1 earned run in 5 innings at Grant, as Wauconda won 8-3 to improve to 16-4 and 8-0 in the North Suburban Conference Prairie Division. All of the other six teams in the NSC Prairie have at least three divisional losses.

"I was pretty much closing everybody (last year)," said Berman, who plans to play for Benedictine University next year. "(Starting) is a little bit of a change because I got to last a little longer now. But I've gotten used to it. I just got to pump strikes early."

Grant (15-10, 3-5) lost to Wauconda for the second day in a row, after having won its last three games.

"We made a lot of mistakes (the last two days) and (Wauconda) capitalized on them," said Grant coach Dave Behm, whose Bulldogs dropped a 7-0 decision on Tuesday. "They're a good team."

Wauconda's good team seemingly just got better too, as senior Kevin Malisheski made his season debut on Monday, pitching a scoreless inning against Deerfield. Malisheski, who tore his left ACL and meniscus in the Wauconda football team's playoff loss last fall, finished up on the mound on Wednesday. He struck out four and did not allow a hit or run in 2 innings.

His return to action came just shy of six months since his knee surgery.

"Everything went my way during rehab," said Malisheski, who is signed to play baseball at Illinois State University. "I was really thankful I didn't have a setback or anything like that. I was ahead the whole time. I worked hard to get back. I really wanted to play this year. I told Coach I want to start.

"I'm just blessed that I was given the chance to come back this early."

For now, the hard-throwing Malisheski will work in relief.

"I don't mind him as a closer," Wauconda coach Bill Sliker said with a laugh. "He's just slowly trying to work up a little arm strength, a little mound time, and we'll see where we go."

With the way starting-pitchers Berman, Jake Grobelny and Korey Soetaert have thrown for Wauconda, there is no reason for Sliker to try to expedite Malisheski's return to the rotation.

"Our starters have been outstanding," Sliker said after Berman allowed 2 hits and 3 walks, while striking out six. "They've pitched deep into games, and they really haven't walked too many guys. They throw strikes."

Alex Machon's two-out two-run single highlighted a three-run bottom of the first inning for Wauconda, which was the home team even though the game was played at Grant because Wauconda couldn't get its field ready.

Up 4-1 in the bottom of the third, Wauconda scored 3 runs on a strange play to break the game open. With one out and runners on second and third, Wauconda's John Herbst reached on a swinging-bunt single to score Trevor Sefcik, who had doubled. Machon got caught in a rundown rounding third, but an errant throw sailed into the outfield and eluded the left fielder, allowing Machon to score and Herbst to circle the bases for a "Little League" homer.

"That was a big momentum changer," Sliker said. "(In the top of third, Grant) had a chance to make it 4-2 with a two-out hit. But then we got three on that one play."

Sefcik and Grobelny, who played shortstop, each had 2 hits for Wauconda, which hosts Carmel on Thursday before getting the weekend off due to prom.

With Grant's prom this weekend as well, the Bulldogs don't play again until their home-and-home series with Lakes starting Tuesday.

James Pendley (2 RBI) and Shawn Riley had Grant's only hits on Wednesday.

"We'll take a little time off and come back ready to go," Behm said. "We know we can play well. We just got to get it back."