The Richland County Tigers will square off against the Mattoon Greenwave at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Richland County's hitters haven't had much luck over their past three matchups, but Wednesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
It was a proper cat-fight when Richland County duked it out with Marshall on Tuesday. The Tigers came up short against the Lions, falling 8-2.
Richland County saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Taylor Bloomer, who went 1-for-2 with one home run.
Meanwhile, Mattoon beat Teutopolis 11-7 on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Greenwave in their matchups with the Wooden Shoes: they've now won four in a row.
Aylexis Otto was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She pitched seven innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off 11 hits. Otto was even better at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, Mattoon got a massive performance out of Alyssa Whitley, who went 1-for-3 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those four RBI gave Whitley a new career-high. Lexi Murdock was another key player, going 4-for-5 with three runs and one stolen base.
Mattoon kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are 3-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Mattoon's win bumped their record up to 7-14. As for Richland County, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-6.
Mattoon's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Richland County hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .315. It's a different story for Mattoon, though, as they've only averaged .258. Will they be able to contain Richland County's hitters?
Richland County suffered a grim 8-2 defeat to Mattoon when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Will the Tigers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
