The Manteno Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Pontiac Indians at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Manteno is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 8.1 runs per game this season.
Manteno is headed out hoping to continue their success from last week, when the picked up their first road victory of the season on Tuesday. They fell just short of Streator by a score of 8-7. Manteno has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Ryan Young was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and five unearned) runs off nine hits (and only one walk). Young has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances. Young was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
In other batting news, Maddox Toepper made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Josh Crane was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-5.
Meanwhile, Pontiac had to endure a six-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. Everything went their way against Monticello on Monday as Pontiac made off with an 8-1 win.
Manteno's loss ended a seven-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 13-2. As for Pontiac, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-11.
Manteno was able to grind out a solid win over Pontiac in their previous meeting back in May of 2022, winning 5-2. Will Manteno repeat their success, or does Pontiac have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
