The Mattoon Greenwave are taking a road trip to take on the Salem Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Mattoon was handed a nine-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Saturday. They skirted past Newton 8-6.
Madden Johnson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: 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 home run was his first of the season.
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. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single earned run in eight consecutive appearances.

Derek Sharp
05/17/25 @ Newton | 3 |
05/10/25 @ Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg | 2 |
05/02/25 @ Mt. Vernon | 2 |
04/26/25 vs Mt. Zion | 2 |
04/07/25 vs Charleston | 2 |
Back at the plate, Derek Sharp was incredible, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with two doubles and one RBI. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in hits (three). 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.
Altamont typically has all the answers at home, but on Thursday Salem proved too difficult a challenge. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Indians a 1-0 shutout.
Rhett Detering looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Salem is 2-1 when Detering allows one or fewer hits, but 10-12 otherwise.
Mattoon is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matches. 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 Salem, their record is now 12-13.
Mattoon skirted past Salem 12-11 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Greenwave since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.