After two games on the road, Mattoon is heading back home. They will take on the Salem Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Mattoon is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.
Last Thursday, it was a hard-fought contest, but Mattoon had to settle for a 7-5 loss against St. Joseph-Ogden. Mattoon has struggled against St. Joseph-Ogden recently, as their match on Thursday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Mattoon saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Camden Jordan, who scored two runs while going 2-for-2.
Meanwhile, Salem had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4.3 runs), and they went ahead and made it four on Thursday. They skirted past the Indians 4-2.
Jalen Inlow was excellent, scoring a run while going 1-for-3. Josh Powless was another key contributor, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
Mattoon's defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 15-15. As for Salem, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-15.
Salem's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Mattoon has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .441. It's a different story for Salem, though, as they've only averaged .364. Will they be able to contain Mattoon's hitters?
Mattoon came out on top in a nail-biter against Salem when the teams last played back in April of 2017, sneaking past 6-5. Does Mattoon have another victory up their sleeve, or will Salem turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
