Baseball Recap: Mattoon Now 6-2 over Last Eight Games

Mattoon was handed a nine-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Saturday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Newton Eagles, sneaking past 8-6. For the Greenwave, this counts as revenge for the 4-1 victory the Eagles walked away with the last time they faced one another back in April of 2024.

Madden Johnson made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March of 2024.

In other pitching news, Fletcher Gregory looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (five).

Derek Sharp

Doubles (Career)

05/17/25 @ Newton	2
04/03/25 vs Sullivan	1
03/28/25 vs Springfield Southeast	1
03/26/25 @ Marshall	1

Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Derek Sharp, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with two doubles and one RBI. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high. Isaiah Warrington was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.

Mattoon kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Newton only managed seven hits.

Mattoon has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-13 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for Newton, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 15-14.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Mattoon will face off against Salem at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Newton, they will take on Farina South Central at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.