The Troy Christian Eagles will venture away from home to take on the Bethel Bees at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Troy Christian is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 17-9 margin over Riverside on Wednesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Eagles considering their one-run performance the contest before.
Judah Simmons was a standout: he went 3-for-5 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. That home run marked the first that he launched this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Grady Stillwell, who scored three runs while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances.
Troy Christian was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last game, Bethel made sure to put some runs up on the board against Miami East on Tuesday. The Bees blew past the Vikings 14-5. The victory continues a trend for the Bees in their matchups with the Vikings: they've now won five in a row.
Christian Barker made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching five innings while giving up three earned runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Bethel got a massive performance out of Anderson Mohler, who scored four runs and stole three bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Gabe Veldman was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-5.
Bethel's win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-3. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.2 runs over those games. As for Troy Christian, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-2 record this season.
Both Troy Christian and Bethel just can't seem to miss. The Eagles have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.8 hits per game. However, it's not like Bethel struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.1 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
