By Drake Skleba

MANTENO - On the hottest day of 2011, some hot stuff was witnessed in Manteno. With a game-time temperature of 91 steamy degrees, a baseball rarity occurred in the very first inning.

 

In Tuesday?s Interstate 8 Conference South Division showdown, Manteno?s starting pitcher, senior Jake Riberdy (0-1), had four strikeouts in the top of the first. That was the good news. The bad news was Herscher also hit three homers and scored seven runs against the Panther lefty and went on to a 13-6 victory over Manteno. The Tigers knocked out 19 hits.

With the win, hot Herscher (26-2; 13-1) clinches a tie for the I-8 South Division title. The win was the 13th consecutive for the Tigers and win No. 499 in the illustrious career of Herscher head coach Eric Regez.

Tiger junior leadoff man RF Jordan Ruckman (4-for-5, 2 2B, HR, RBI) led off the ballgame with a bomb that soared over the left field fence and the Tigers were quickly on the board. Ruckman would fall a triple short of hitting for the cycle.

 

?I was really seeing the ball well today,? said Ruckman. ?I wanted to get us started early today and the leadoff homer was key for us.?

 

After a walk to starting and winning pitcher Justin Ruckman (5-1), Tiger senior IB Tyler Evans (2-for-5, HR, 2RBI), launched a two-run bomb in approximately the same location as Ruckman?s homer.

 

?We have been hot at the plate as of late,? said Evans. ?I hit the ball well on the homer.?

 

Junior Matt Webber (2-for-4, 2 2B, RBI) doubled home a run and later in the inning senior 2B Luke Stetson (2-for-4; HR, 4RBI) hit the third Tiger homer of the inning and the Tigers led 7-0 after a half inning of play. Stetson had just returned from a severely sprained ankle and hadn?t played since April 11.

 

?It was great to be back playing baseball again,? said Stetson. ? I wanted to come back strong for us and I was successful.?

 

All four Tiger outs in the inning were Riberdy Ks. One of his four strikeout victims reached base on a wild pitch.

 

Manteno quickly answered when Panther junior J.J. Witherow (3-for-4, 2R) singled and Riberdy got two of the runs back when he homered to make it 7-2 after one.

 

The Herscher lead would grow to 13-3 as the game went to the bottom of the fifth. Manteno avoided the ten-run rule by scoring twice in the bottom of the fifth. Panther senior 1B C.J. Irvin went deep off Ruckman. Herscher senior RHP Kenny Hertz (2 2/3 IP, 0 ER, H, K, BB) would replace Ruckman with one out in the fifth and get out of the inning with no further damage.

 

Tiger senior CF Jeff Bruer had a 4-for-5 day for the Tigers and scored three runs.

 

?When I saw my teammates hit those three bombs in the first inning, it really got me going,? said Bruer. ?I hit the ball very well today and just hit it where it was pitched.?

 

Senior RHP Mark Reardanz fired four scoreless innings of relief to keep the Panthers in the game. Reardanz had a fine day at the plate with two hits, including a double and an RBI.

 

?We battled back after the bad first inning,? said Manteno head coach Bret Pignatiello. ?I am very proud of the way Mark Reardanz competed on the mound for us.?

 

In Herscher on Thursday, the hot Tigers will look for a conference championship clinching win and No. 500 for head coach Eric Regez.

 

?We are in real good shape as far as the conference is concerned,? said Regez.

?The big seven-run first inning was huge for us. We knocked out 19 hits and really put pressure on their defense. If we can win one more we can clinch the conference championship.?