Manteno’s senior battery leads team to 4-1 ICE win over Herscher

MANTENO − After taking a tough nonconferece loss to close out last week, the Manteno softball team got back to its winning ways Monday, taking an Illinois Central Eight Conference matchup with Herscher 4-1.

Ava Peterson allowed just five hits in a complete game effort. Catcher Jaz Manau’s two-run double in the bottom of the first stood up as the game-winning hit as the Panthers (15-4, 10-1 ICE) picked up their seventh conference win in a row.

Manau’s double was laced down the right field line and drove in Savanna Watkins and Aubrie Goudreau, the only two runs off of Herscher’s Anistin Hackley until Bella Gigliello’s two-run, pinch hit single with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.

Nine different players reached base for the Panthers. Manau said that having multiple solid plate appearances as a team was key to the win, as was strong defense against a Tiger team that managed to put the ball in play often, striking out only twice against Peterson.

“We were pretty consistent throughout the whole lineup, and I feel like that was good,” she said. “And we made a lot of clutch plays on defense.”

For Peterson, one play that stood out was a double play in the top of the third. Herscher’s Keira Ahramovich smoked a line drive to Watkins at third, who snagged it and threw across the diamond to double up the speedy RyLyn Adams at first base. Macy Iwanus picked long hop out of the dirt to complete the double play.

“We set a goal for this game for having three ‘ESPN plays’ as we call them, just spectacular plays,” Peterson said. “Like the double play, just a ton of stuff like that. A total effort.”

As seniors, Peterson and Manau bring years of experience as battery mates, dating back to their time in junior high, to this Panther team. Peterson said that this experience helps them execute at a high level.

“I don’t think she gets enough credit back there,” Peterson said of her catcher. “She’s calling the pitches, doing behind-the-scenes work, and a lot of those weak contacts and things are because of her.”

Manau said that this familiarity helps them stay on the same page throughout games.

“We just communicate really good with each other, I feel like,” she said. “Our bond is pretty strong.”

Herscher (14-10, 5-6) dropped another close road game to a top ICE team, having lost 5-3 to Coal City (16-7, 10-1) in their last conference game on April 29. Two of the Tigers’ conference losses came to the Coalers, who received votes in the May 4 release of the Class 2A ICA Poll. Two more losses came to a Wilmington team ranked 16th in that same poll. Manteno is ranked 11th.

Head coach Mike Cann said he was happy with how the team played Monday, and that these conference games against tough opponents have been beneficial.

“Our conference is going to help us,” he said. “Those are going to be the games where we see our weaknesses or mistakes. Then we have to learn and capitalize on them, go over them in practice.”

Adams was 3 for 4 with a double and a steal. She also scored the team’s run on a sacrifice fly from Addy Whitaker.

For Manteno, there will be some major challenges ahead. After the Herscher series wraps up, they will face a Joliet Catholic team that received votes in the latest 2A poll and then an unbeaten Seneca team ranked third in 2A.

They then play a pair against Coal City, with the ICE title very much still in play. Next they host a dangerous 4A Bradley-Bourbonnais team, before wrapping things up among a talented field at the Rockridge Tournament in Iowa and heading into the playoffs.

Head coach Josh Carlile said this deliberately difficult stretch can help the team get primed for a postseason run.

“Essentially our last 10 games of the season, they’re all ranked teams and they’re all teams that are going to challenge us,” he said. “It’s great and it’s an opportunity for us to play against really high-quality competition so that we’re building as we head into the postseason.”