Baseball Game Preview: Mattoon Greenwave vs. St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans

The Mattoon Greenwave will square off against the St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Mattoon had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the six-run drubbing they dealt Shelbyville on Monday. The Greenwave were the clear victors by a 7-1 margin over the Rams. With that win, the Greenwave brought their scoring average up to 6.1 runs per game.

Kamden Tinsman looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Zander Piper, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Mathew Miller, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double.

Meanwhile, St. Joseph-Ogden entered their tilt with Mt. Zion on Wednesday with 23 consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with 24. They never let the Braves get on the board and left with an 11-0 victory. St. Joseph-Ogden's win was all the more impressive since the Braves were averaging only 3.65 runs allowed on the season.

Mattoon has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 16-12 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for St. Joseph-Ogden, their win was their 14th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 30-2.

Mattoon couldn't quite finish off St. Joseph-Ogden when the teams last played back in May of 2024 and fell 7-5. Will the Greenwave have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.