With both teams struggling to find a win, someone is going to come out with a victory. Both Mattoon and Taylorville softball has witnessed a tough stretch in their season, but both teams face off this Saturday in Apollo Conference action. 

Here is a preview of Saturday’s game

Team Records: Mattoon (5-10, 2-6) @ Taylorville (1-7, 0-4)

Where: Taylorville High School

School Size: Mattoon (930), Taylorville (756)

First Pitch: 10 a.m.

Opponent’s History: This is the third season for head coach Megan Rhodes. In her first season, COVID wiped away the season. Last year, the Tornadoes finished 4-17. Taylorville hasn’t had a winning season since 2016.  

Taylorville’s Past Results: Taylorville owns one win on the season. That was the first game of the season with an 8-7 win over Hillsboro. After that, the team dropped seven straight to Casey Lutheran, Meridian, Mount Zion, Rochester, and Mahomet-Seymour. The Bulldogs recently outscored Taylorville a combined 27-2. 

Taylorville’s Top Players: No players were named All-Apollo last season. 

Mount Zion’s Team Stats:  No stats were available. 

Mattoon’s Past Results: Mattoon dropped their doubleheader against Mount Zion 11-5 and 11-6 last weekend. The following day, the Green Wave lost 16-5 and 4-3 to a very competitive Normal West team. On Tuesday, the Green Wave picked up a 9-6 win over Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond. Mattoon has won two of their last six games. 

Mattoon’s Team Stats: Emma Longcor has surged to the top of the hitting chart with a .380 average. She is joined by Cadence McDaniel’s .370 average. McDaniel and Longcor lead the team in hits with 20 and 19 respectively. Sophie Artis leads the team with nine runs batted in, while both McDaniel and Cam Lee have scored 10 runs each. Abbie Lee owns two home runs in 14 plate appearances. On the mound, Ivie Edwards is 3-6 in 47.2 innings with 41 walks and 33 strikeouts, while Liz Enlow is 2-3 in 34 innings pitched. 

What Mattoon Said: “We had some rough games the past four games,” said head coach Jennifer Saucier. “They were tough teams, but we needed to play better on our end too. I’m going to tell my girls the same thing that I tell them against any opponent. As long as we come in with fire and confidence, we will be just fine. Even with mistakes, as long as we turn the page, we will be just fine. The games we have played like a team and played together, are extremely fun to watch. That’s the key I have been stressing with them. We have a lot of talent on this team. We just need to use it and work together.”