Mattoon had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Saturday. They walked away with a 7-2 win over the Taylorville Tornadoes. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Mattoon also won the last time the pair played on Saturday.
Madden Johnson made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out 11 batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. Johnson has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances. Johnson was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Johnson wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Joey Stewart, who went 1-for-3 with a home run and four RBI. Another player making a difference was Slater Trier, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Mattoon's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-12. As for Taylorville, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-12 record this season.
Mattoon will head out on the road to square off against Rantoul at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Taylorville, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Springfield Southeast at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
