Chicago, Ill.-June 7- Pitching was the name of the game in tonight’s game. What has been a focus all season long was in full force.

The MCL Minutemen (3-3) won their second straight game tonight 3-2, against the top team in the standings, the Crestwood Panthers (4-4) in the battle of the pitchers. What was a neck and neck game throughout became a Minutemen upset.

The Minutemen were the first ones to get on the board. After taking a walk on his first at bat, Jason Daniels (Waubonsee/ Hammond, Ind.) stole second, then third, then came home after a passed ball in the first inning of the game. The Panthers then came back in the bottom of the inning with a  home run to tie it at one apiece. In the second inning, Brennan Brogni (Illinois Springfield/ Flagstaff, Ariz.) would score off of a sacrifice fly from Brad Miller (Spoon River/ Oak Forest, Ill.). In the third inning, the Panthers would answer with another run of their own. They remained tied through the eight inning at 2-2. That is until Brogni scored in the eighth inning on a wild pitch to seal the deal on the scoreboard.

Manager Deandre Gilmore was happy with the team’s performance, but still believes there’s things to work on.

“I’m happy that we competed all game. We stranded a couple guys on base. It benefited in their favor because it kept the game close,” Gilmore said.

 A big reason the game was so close was the elite pitching from the Minutemen bullpen. The team only used two pitchers this evening. Nick Vitiritti (Carthage/ Lansing, Ill.) got the start. He pitched the first five innings, allowing two runs, two hits, and striking out two batters. Jorge Santos (South Suburban/ Homewood, Ill.) would take over for the last four innings. It was his first time as a pitcher for the Minutemen this season. Santos allowed no runs, one hit, and struck out seven batters. He was also awarded the win.

Gilmore seems to have found a new pitcher to add to his arsenal in the bullpen.

“That was Jorge’s first time, but he’s been bugging me, and he’s been asking me to get on the mound. He showed up today and proved that he’s one of the best guys on the mound for us and the pitching staff as well,” Gilmore said.

The Minutemen will take on the Southland Vikings tomorrow at Prairie State College at 5:05 pm for the first time this season. Follow @MclMinutemen on Twitter to keep up with all the latest Minutemen news and updates, and follow @MCLMinutemen on Facebook to catch the live streams of every game.