The Bethel Bees will square off against the Troy Christian Eagles at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Bethel barely beat Miami East the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Bees put the hurt on the Vikings with a sharp 14-5 win on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Bees in their matchups with the Vikings: they've now won five in a row.
Christian Barker
| 04/15/25 @ Miami East | 5 |
| 04/09/25 @ Lehman Catholic | 8 |
| 04/01/25 vs Riverside | 11 |
| 03/21/25 @ Troy | 5 |
Christian Barker was a major factor 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. Another player making a difference was Gabe Veldman, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-5.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last match, Troy Christian made sure to put some runs up on the board against Riverside on Wednesday. The Eagles were the clear victors by a 17-9 margin over the Pirates. The game was the first time the Eagles have beaten the Pirates on their field since April 26, 2022.
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.
Bethel's win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-3. The 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 have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-2 record this season.
Bethel's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's game. The Bees have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.4 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Troy Christian, though, as they've been averaging only 0.8 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Bethel continue to outrun the ball?
Bethel skirted past Troy Christian 2-1 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Will the Bees repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
