The Manteno Panthers will venture away from home to face off against the Wilmington Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Manteno will come into the match with an undefeated record on the line.
Manteno gave up the first runs last Thursday, but they didn't let that get them down. They came out on top against Bloom by a score of 7-3.
Braden Campbell
| 04/03/25 @ Bloom | 1 |
| 03/29/25 vs Kankakee | 2 |
| 03/25/25 @ Milford | 2 |
Jake Wendling and Braden Campbell made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, 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 consistent recently: 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.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Wilmington's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They took a 6-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of Morris.
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.
Wilmington now has a losing record of 4-5. As for Manteno, their victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-0.
Wilmington's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Manteno has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .471. It's a different story for Wilmington, though, as they've only averaged .349. Will they be able to contain Manteno's hitters?
Manteno couldn't quite get it done against Wilmington in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 as they fell 5-2. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
