Manteno bats give Ava Peterson plenty of run support against Kankakee

MANTENO – After the wacky weather last week with tornado warnings and snowflakes postponing a pair of Manteno’s softball games, the Panthers returned to the diamond when they hosted Kankakee on Tuesday. Despite the lengthy break, the Panthers showed no rust, as ace Ava Peterson tossed a gem and the offense saw all nine starters record at least one of their 18 hits in an 11-1 five-inning victory.

“You know how it is in the spring, everyone gets tired of being in the gym,” Panthers coach Josh Carlile said. “You can only harp ‘practice hard’ so many times before it starts to kind of make you numb, and we were ready to play.”

Manteno improved to 2-0 and the Kays fell to 2-2 following a doubleheader sweep of Thornton on Monday.

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Manteno's Ava Peterson, left, throws a pitch to Kankakee's Lillian Landis during a game at Manteno Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Mason Schweizer)

The Panthers scored in every inning, recording one in the first, two in both the second and third and three in both the fourth and fifth innings. Seven players had multi-hit days, with Jaz Manau and Sophie Peterson each finishing with three hits. Manau tripled and cleared loaded bases with a walk-off single and ensuing Kays error, totaling four RBIs and three runs scored. Sophie Peterson drove in three and scored a run.

Whether it was Ava Peterson (2 for 4, 2B, RBI, R) in the leadoff spot or Julie Ott (2 for 3) in the nine-hole, the Panthers know they can trust anybody they send to the plate to do a variety of things to create runs.

“I think today was a great display of our team,” Ava Peterson said. “It’s such a well-balanced group this year. We have all our speed, we don’t have a bunch of big power hitters, but a lot of girls can do both. It’s a very good balance, and I think today was a great display of what we can do.”

Ava Peterson allowed an earned run on two hits, two walks and 10 strikeouts, her second one-run complete game in as many starts. While Carlile praised the spin she had on her pitches and getting some velocity back after recovering from a minor knee injury during the basketball season, the Manteno ace was humble in her self-assessment.

“A win’s a win, so it’s a good day,” she said. “But on the mound, my job is to keep the runs as low as possible so our offense can do the work and win. Obviously, one run, I’d say that gave them room to work, and it was a great day.”

The Kays got both of their hits in the fourth inning, when Kylie Glogowski singled and eventually came around to score on Kendyl Christon’s single. As they look to get their young team up to speed, coach LaDesha Nelson said the Panthers gave them a great example of how teams can take advantage of little mistakes in a myriad of ways.

“The little things are what makes the difference,” Nelson said. “The good teams capitalize on the little things, they take advantage of it, just as simple as showing that you have effort. … If you show an inch, they take a mile. That comes with experience, and we’re working on that."