The Joliet Catholic Hilltoppers will look to defend their home field on Thursday against the Manteno Panthers at 4:30 p.m. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Joliet Catholic is hoping to deliver their fans another blowout on Thursday, just like they did against Nazareth Academy (and have done all season long). Joliet Catholic never let Nazareth Academy onto the board and left with a 9-0 win on Wednesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Joliet Catholic.
The result came thanks to Sydney Walker's shutout, as she gave up just three hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Madison Patrick, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stolen at least one in the last seven games she's played. Molly Ryan was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Manteno put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They walked away with a 5-2 victory over Herscher.
Joliet Catholic is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 14-8 record this season. As for Manteno, they pushed their record up to 25-0 with that win, which was their 17th straight at home dating back to last season.
Joliet Catholic skirted past Manteno 9-8 in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Does Joliet Catholic have another victory up their sleeve, or will Manteno turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
