vs
| 03/13/24 - Home | 6-4 W |
| 04/21/23 - Away | 9-3 W |
| 04/13/23 - Home | 5-4 W |
| 05/17/22 - Home | 0-7 L |
| 03/16/22 - Home | 7-3 W |
| + 5 more games |
Manteno has gone 8-2 against Kankakee recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Saturday. Manteno will host Kankakee at 1:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Kankakee will be up against a hot Manteno team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. Manteno put the hurt on Hoopeston with a sharp 13-3 win on Friday. That's two games straight that the Panthers have won by exactly ten runs.
Jake Wendling made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (four). He was also big at the plate, scoring three runs while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Manteno let Brady Hespen and Tyler Buehler run wild. Hespen scored three runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4, while Buehler got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three RBI and one triple. Hespen also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Andrew Norred, who went 3-for-5 with four RBI.
Manteno was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .378 or higher every time they've taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Kankakee, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They never let Thornton get on the board and left with a 12-0 victory on Wednesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Kays considering their one-run performance the matchup before.
Byron Wills made a splash no matter where he played. He tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-low in walks (zero). He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Bryce Deany was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-2. Kyree Sykes was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
Manteno's win bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Kankakee, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-3.
Kankakee's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Manteno has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .543. It's a different story for Kankakee, though, as they've only averaged .333. Will they be able to contain Manteno's hitters?
Manteno came out on top in a nail-biter against Kankakee in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, sneaking past 6-4. Will Manteno repeat their success, or does Kankakee has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
