Brandon Petersen knows his job and he knows it well.
Last year as a sophomore, Petersen posted a 6-0 record for Waubonsie Valley’s varsity as Bryan Acevedo coached the sophomore team. In his first year as the Warriors’ varsity coach, Acevedo knew Petersen had the stuff to be the staff’s ace in 2015.
The left-handed Petersen has done what Acevedo expected, carrying excellent numbers into his last start against Bartlett: a 3-0 record to go with a 0.26 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings.
In admittedly his worst start of the year, Petersen scattered four hits, gave up one earned run and struck out five while still managing to throw a complete game against Bartlett in a 3-2 Waubonsie Valley victory.
Bartlett tied the game at 1-1 in the fourth despite not hitting the ball out of the infield, and a pair of Petersen balks in the top of the sixth helped the Hawks tie the game at 2-2.
“It was definitely a learning experience, you know, with my teammates behind me,” Petersen said. “I didn’t have my best stuff, but everyone on the bench was picking me up. It was an experience to get through it and come out with a ‘W’ is pretty, pretty big.”
Ouinton Zielke’s pinch-hit RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning gave Petersen his fourth win of the year and the Warriors their sixth straight victory.
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The fact the Warriors could still win despite Petersen not having his best stuff speaks volumes for the way they’ve been playing for much of the year.
“(Petersen) wasn’t the sharpest he’s ever been for us, that’s for sure,” Acevedo said. “But he’s gutsy, man. He’s going to keep you in a baseball game and the kids know that. He’s just going to give you opportunities to put some runs on the board.”
Huskies hitting
After a 13-5 victory over Naperville Central on April 23, Naperville North hoped it was a sign of things to come.
“We put the ball in play and I think that’s the key,” Naperville North coach Carl Hunckler said. “That’s what we need to learn: put the ball in play, make things happen. We hit a lot of balls hard.”
A three-game losing streak immediately followed, but the Huskies have averaged 9.7 runs during a three-game winning streak entering this week.
The Huskies pounded out 14 hits in a 12-3 victory over Wheaton North on May 1 and had 13 more in a 11-1 win last Saturday. Sam Siebers combined to go 5-of-6 with seven RBIs and scored five runs in the two victories over the Falcons.
On a roll
Sophomore Ryan Eiermann and his Naperville Central teammates used the same word to explain the left-hander’s recent dominance: confidence.
Eiermann carried a perfect game into the bottom of the sixth against Wheaton North on April 27, establishing a new career high in strikeouts for the second straight game with 15.
“It’s just been confidence and these guys have given me all the confidence in the world with hitting the ball and making plays for me,” Eiermann said.
The 10-1 victory the Redhawks got over the Falcons came six days after Eiermann struck out 14 in a 10-0, six-inning shutout of Naperville North.
“Ryan has come out and really gotten the confidence going and attacked the first inning (at Wheaton North) and never let up,” Redhawks coach Mike Stock said.
In 39 innings, Eiermann (4-0) has yet to allow an earned run. He has 67 strikeouts.
Baumgartner is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.