Baseball Recap: Miami East Comes Up Short

Miami East extended their losing streak to three on Thursday, dropping them down to 4-4. They lost 14-4 to the Bethel Bees. If the Vikings were looking for revenge after losing 4-0 to the Bees when the teams met back in May of 2025, then they'll just have to keep looking.

As for Bethel, they have been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine games. That's provided a massive bump to their 7-6-1 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.2 runs over those games.

For Bethel's part, Connor McElroy made a splash while hitting and pitching. He pitched two innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. McElroy has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.

In other batting news, Jayden Graves and Ethan Maxwell did most of the damage at the plate: Graves got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and one double, while Maxwell went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Maxwell is becoming a predictor of Bethel's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-0-1 (and 5-6 when he doesn't). Bryce Elam also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.

Looking ahead, Miami East will head out on the road to take on Covington at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Bethel, they will be playing at home against Indian Lake at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.