Softball Game Preview: Seneca Fighting Irish vs. Manteno Panthers

The Seneca Fighting Irish will take on the Manteno Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Seneca sitting on 25 straight wins and Manteno on three.

On Thursday, Seneca needed a bit of extra time to put away Marquette. They came out on top against the Crusaders by a score of 11-7. 11 seems to be a good number for the Fighting Irish as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.

Meanwhile, Manteno hadn't done well against Joliet Catholic recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Panthers had just enough and edged out the Hilltoppers 11-10.

Seneca's win was their 19th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 25-0. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.9 runs over those games. As for Manteno, their win bumped their record up to 17-4.

Seneca couldn't quite finish off Manteno when the teams last played back in May of 2023 and fell 5-3. Will the Fighting Irish have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.