The Bethel Christian Kings will head out to challenge the Temecula Prep Patriots at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. Temecula Prep took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Bethel Christian, who comes in off a win.
Bethel Christian will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they didn’t score any runs on Thursday, then bounced right back against The Grove School on Tuesday. The Kings were the clear victors by an 18-1 margin over the Ravens. With that win, the Kings brought their scoring average up to 6.9 runs per game.
Kaedin Milhouse and Derek Werner made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Milhouse pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Werner pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Bethel Christian is 2-1 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 3-7 otherwise. At bat, Milhouse went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs, while Werner got on base in all four of his plate appearances with four runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those four runs gave Werner a new career-high.
In other batting news, Raymond Aldridge V was a standout: he got on base in three of his four plate appearances with four stolen bases and two runs. He has become a key player for Bethel Christian: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-8 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Jonah Thompson, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with four runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 19 runs the game before, Temecula Prep was a bit more limited in their game on Wednesday. They lost 9-2 to Santa Rosa Academy. The Patriots’ defeat signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Temecula Prep saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cody Servin, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one RBI.
Bethel Christian’s record now sits at 5-8. As for Temecula Prep, their loss dropped their record down to 9-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Bethel Christian has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.9 stolen bases per game. However, it’s not like Temecula Prep struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 3.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Bethel Christian might still be hurting after the 13-2 defeat they got from Temecula Prep when the teams last played back in March of 2020. Can the Kings avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
