Coal City and Manteno are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2021, but likely not for long. The Coalers will look to defend their home field on Monday against the Panthers at 4:30 p.m. Coal City will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.
Having struggled with four defeats in a row, Coal City turned things around against Newark on Thursday. They put the hurt on the Norsemen with a sharp 8-2 win. Considering the Coalers have won nine matchups by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Kellen Forsythe
| 05/08/25 vs Newark | 8 |
| 03/28/25 vs Parkview Christian Academy | 7 |
| 04/19/25 vs Morris | 2 |
| 04/12/25 @ Plainfield North | 2 |
| 03/21/25 vs Minooka | 2 |
Kellen Forsythe made a splash while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over seven innings pitched. Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with three RBI.
Forsythe wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Donnie Ladas, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Meanwhile, Manteno beat Marian Catholic 12-7 on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Panthers.
Tyler Buehler and Jake Stevens did most of the damage at the plate: Buehler went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI, while Stevens went 2-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one run. Stevens has been hot recently, having posted three or more RBI the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Maddoz Toepper, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
Manteno's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-5. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Coal City, their victory bumped their record up to 17-11.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Coal City has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Manteno struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Coal City couldn't quite get it done against Manteno when the teams last played back in May of 2024 as they fell 5-2. Can the Coalers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
