The Manteno Panthers are taking a road trip to take on the Bishop McNamara Fightin' Irish at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a four-game winning streak alive.
Manteno is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. Everything went their way against Beecher as they made off with an 8-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won 11 matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Nolan Canfield
| 05/24/25 vs Beecher | 1 |
| 05/17/25 @ Bradley-Bourbonnais | 1 |
| 05/15/25 vs Watseka | 1 |
| 05/09/25 vs Marian Catholic | 2 |
| 05/05/25 @ Herscher | 1 |
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). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Tyler Buehler, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Jake Stevens, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two RBI.
Herscher typically has all the answers at home, but on Saturday Bishop McNamara proved too difficult a challenge. They walked away with a 5-0 victory over the Tigers. Give the Fightin' Irish's pitching crew some credit: that's the team's third straight shutout.
Not much got past Dom Panozzo, who gave up just two hits and racked up 17 Ks to keep Herscher off the board.
On the hitting side, Taylor Fuerst was incredible, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with three RBI and one double. Preston Payne was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI 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.
Bishop McNamara's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 26-7. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for Manteno, their record is now 21-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Manteno has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bishop McNamara struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Manteno beat Bishop McNamara 7-3 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Fightin' Irish turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
