The Bishop McNamara Fightin' Irish will take on the Manteno Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a four-game winning streak alive.
Bishop McNamara is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Herscher a 5-0 shutout. The Fightin' Irish's pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last three games.
Dom Panozzo
| 05/24/25 @ Herscher | 17 |
| 05/13/25 vs Chicago Hope Academy | 14 |
| 05/08/25 vs Bradley-Bourbonnais | 5 |
| 04/28/25 @ Timothy Christian | 11 |
| 04/19/25 @ Wheaton Academy | 9 |
| + 2 more games |
The result came thanks to Dom Panozzo's shutout, as he gave up just two hits and racked up 17 Ks. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Taylor Fuerst, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with three RBI and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Callahan O'Connor, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Bishop McNamara kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Herscher only managed two hits.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Manteno challenged Beecher on Saturday. The Panthers were the clear victors by an 8-1 margin over the Bobcats. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won 11 contests by seven runs or more so far this season.
Nolan Canfield tossed a big game, striking out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit (and only one walk).
On the hitting side, Tyler Buehler was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April. Andrew Norred was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base.
Bishop McNamara pushed their record up to 26-7 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Manteno, their victory bumped their record up to 21-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bishop McNamara has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Manteno struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Bishop McNamara came up short against Manteno in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, falling 7-3. Will the Fightin' Irish have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
