The Wilmington Wildcats will head out to take on the Manteno Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Wilmington 3.3, Manteno 2.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Wilmington is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Morris just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Thursday. They took a 6-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Redskins.
Wilmington saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Dierks Geiss, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Manteno put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They came out on top against Bloom by a score of 7-3.
Jake Wendling and Braden Campbell made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Wendling pitched 3.1 innings while giving up just one earned run but no hits. Meanwhile, Campbell struck out six batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. At bat, Wendling scored a run while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances, while Campbell went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI.
In other batting news, Quinn Borden was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 1-for-4. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 1.1 stolen bases per game. Another player making a difference was Maddoz Toepper, who scored a run while going 1-for-4.
Manteno hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bloom struck out ten times.
Manteno pushed their record up to 8-0 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Wilmington, they now have a losing record of 4-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Wilmington has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Manteno struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Wilmington beat Manteno 5-2 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
