Softball Game Preview: Taylorville Tornadoes vs. Mattoon Greenwave

Taylorville is 0-10 against Mattoon since April of 2019 but things could change on Thursday. The Tornadoes will face off against the Greenwave at 4:00 p.m. Taylorville has given up an average of 10 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Taylorville came up short against Shelbyville on Wednesday, falling 14-4. The Tornadoes have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Taylorville saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lily Harden, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with one triple and one run.

Meanwhile, Mattoon had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Wednesday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 4-3 W against the Sages.

Hanna Griffin spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on seven hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Aylexis Otto, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Kenna Karnes, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one run and one double.

Mattoon's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-14. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Taylorville, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-19.