Manteno has gone a perfect 4-0 against Iroquois West recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Wednesday. The Panthers will welcome the Raiders at 4:30 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Manteno comes in on seven and Iroquois West on four.
Manteno's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They came out on top against Peotone by a score of 5-0. The five-run effort marked the Panthers' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Nolan Canfield
| 04/01/25 @ Peotone | 7 |
| 03/29/25 vs Kankakee | 0 |
| 03/26/25 vs Beecher | 4 |
| 03/25/25 @ Milford | 1 |
| 03/18/25 vs Grant Park | 6 |
| + 3 more games |
Nolan Canfield looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024.
On the hitting side, Tyler Buehler was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Quinn Borden was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Iroquois West gave up the first runs on Tuesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 12-11 victory over Momence. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Raiders have posted against the Momence Athletics since April 18, 2018.
Iroquois West let Julian Melgoza and Rylan Pheifer run wild. Melgoza scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Pheifer scored four runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Pheifer also put up a double, which was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Ivan Ontiveros, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Iroquois West pushed their record up to 4-2 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.6 runs over those games. As for Manteno, their victory bumped their record up to 7-0.
Wednesday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Manteno has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .484. However, it's not like Iroquois West struggles in that department as they've averaged .440. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Manteno's way against Iroquois West when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Manteno made off with an 11-1 win. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Raiders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
