Baseball Game Preview: Manteno Panthers vs. St. Laurence Vikings

The Manteno Panthers will face off against the St. Laurence Vikings at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Manteno is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.5 runs per game this season.

St. Laurence will be up against a hot Manteno squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. The Panthers came out on top against Bradley-Bourbonnais by a score of 6-1 on Saturday.

Nolan Canfield

Base on Balls Against

05/17/25 @ Bradley-Bourbonnais	1
05/15/25 vs Watseka	1
05/09/25 vs Marian Catholic	2
05/05/25 @ Herscher	1

Nolan Canfield spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on five hits and racked up seven Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Brady Hespen was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.

Meanwhile, St. Laurence faced Brother Rice in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Saturday. The Vikings fell 6-2 to the Crusaders. The Vikings have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Manteno's victory bumped their record up to 20-7. As for St. Laurence, their defeat dropped their record down to 26-5.

Manteno couldn't quite get it done against St. Laurence in their previous meeting back in May of 2023 as they fell 10-5. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.