What was going well for Wilmington senior Cooper Holman when he toed the rubber in Tuesday’s home tilt with Manteno?

“Everything,” Holman said. “Everything felt good. I don’t feel that usually, but everything was good.”

In a matchup of aces with the Panthers’ Braden Campbell, Holman worked around an unearned Manteno run in the top of the first to settle into a gem. He later tied things in the fourth with a solo shot that sparked the Wildcats (10-4-1, 6-2) to a 5-3 win and pivotal Illinois Central Eight sweep of the Panthers.

Holman’s homer was the first of two game-shifting moments Tuesday. The other came in the top of the sixth, with the Panthers trailing 2-1 with two outs and Eric Eldridge courtesy running on first for Campbell, who’d just reached on an error by Wildcats second baseman Caius Drown.

Connor Harrod got just under a Holman offering and lofted it to shallow left-center, where Wildcats shortstop Ryan Kettman bobbled the ball after a near-collision with center fielder Declan Moran, setting Manteno up with runners on the corners and Gio Arrigo to the dish.

But on an appeal, Eldridge was ruled to have missed second base, ending the inning.

In the bottom of the frame, the Wildcats scored three runs on two errors, a walk and a Nash Rink single, a three-spot that wound up to be crucial after the Panthers fought back with a pair in the seventh and sent the go-ahead run to the plate.

Wildcats coach Mike Bushnell credited Drown, who made the appeal, for helping turn the game on its head down the stretch.

“That was huge,” Bushnell said. “That was a heads-up play by Caius to see him miss second. I think that really flipped the switch and we had that great inning.

“Hats off to Caius on that, and Cooper was phenomenal. He was able to locate his offspeed, which was huge. Like I told him, I think this was the best game he’s pitched all season.”

Tyler Buehler reached on an error to open the game, got to third on a Logan Bufford single and scored on a Jake Stevens fielder’s choice to put the Panthers (9-4, 5-3 ICE) on the board first before Holman settled in, retiring nine straight Panthers after Bufford’s knock.

In a primetime pitching matchup like Tuesday’s, Holman – who allowed three unearned runs on four hits, three walks and 11 strikeouts in 6⅔ innings – said confidence was the key.

“I know I’m better, 100%,” Holman said. “I just have to play like I can. It’s more fuel to the fire, for sure.”

Campbell was also locked in from the jump. He didn’t allow a hit until Holman’s blast to dead center with one out in the fourth. After a two-out walk to Brayden Meents in the fifth, Kettman singled him in to put the Wildcats ahead 2-1 before the late-inning frenzy.

Campbell was charged with five runs (three earned) on five hits, two walks and six strikeouts over 5⅔ innings.

Following the Wildcats’ game-breaking sixth, the Panthers were able to chase Holman off the bump and had a serious chance to tie or take the lead.

Gio Arrigo and Cade Bechard walks sandwiched Brady Hespen reaching on an error and Brendan Jedlicka striking out, loading the bases with one away for the top of the Manteno lineup.

Holman caught Buehler looking for the second out, but after Bufford singled in a pair, in came Tyler Krand, who got Stevens to line out to right fielder Ryan Schraeger to end it.

Manteno coach Matt Beckner thought Holman and Campbell looked like two of the ICE’s best on Tuesday in a matchup that could very well happen again come playoff time. And he also thought that the game came down to just one or two mistakes.

“It felt like a postseason game, honestly,” he said. “We had two No. 1s on the mound, their best and our best, and they both showed you why. We had a couple mental mistakes where we gave them an extra 90 feet, apparently not touching second base.

“I thought we did, but apparently we didn’t. I don’t know. That’s what the call was, clearly we didn’t. That was a big spot in the game. I guess you make the call if we don’t touch it, but I don’t know how you make that call. It’s 2-1, we’ve got first and third with a pretty good hitter up, and I feel good about where we’re at. Then they just called them out there.”

Both teams will turn to nonconference action next, the Wildcats at home against Sandwich and Manteno at Paxton-Buckley-Loda on Friday.