Mattoon is 1-9 against Charleston since May of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Greenwave will take on the Trojans at 4:30 p.m. Mattoon has given up an average of 7.2 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Mattoon managed to slip by Robinson the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Greenwave came up short against the Maroons on Monday, falling 14-2.
Mattoon saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Aylexis Otto, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-2. Aubrie Phillips also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Charleston entered their tilt with Urbana on Monday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They put the hurt on the Tigers with a sharp 17-1 win. That 16 run margin sets a new team best for the Trojans this season.
Railyn Cox made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Cox was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Blair Ritchey, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. Those three hits gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Rylee Shrader, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI.
Charleston was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .677. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive matchups.
Charleston's victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-2. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Mattoon, their loss dropped their record down to 2-4.
Mattoon couldn't quite finish off Charleston in their previous meeting back in March of 2024 and fell 11-9. Can the Greenwave avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
