Softball Game Recap: Taylorville Tornadoes vs. Mattoon Greenwave

Taylorville extended their losing streak to four on Thursday, dropping their season record down to 4-21 in the process. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 9-3 to the Mattoon Greenwave, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Greenwave this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 9-3 on Thursday.

Sophia Rogers made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Grace Rogers was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one run and one double.

As for Mattoon, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-14 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.8 runs on average over those games.

On Mattoon's side, they got a great performance from Hanna Griffin as she didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Griffin has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 13 consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Lexi Murdock was a standout: she went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one double. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Isabel Phillips, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, one run, and one double.

Looking ahead, Taylorville will head out on the road to take on Charleston at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Tornadoes' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Trojans have averaged an impressive 7.1 runs per game this season. As for Mattoon, they will welcome Casey-Westfield at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are headed into the matchup with plenty of momentum (the Greenwave have won five straight at home, while the Warriors won five straight on the road), something that'll have to change.