A Rough Knight in Kinston: Trojans Top Knights 8–2 to Remain Unbeaten

KINSTON, N.C. — In a battle of conference unbeatens, it was Bethel Christian Academy that rose to the occasion.

Behind a dominant complete-game outing from senior right-hander Cooper Williams, the Trojans secured a commanding 8–2 victory over Greenville Christian Academy on Thursday night, handing the Knights their first conference loss and locking up the No. 1 seed heading into the postseason.

Williams was nearly untouchable, scattering six hits over seven innings while striking out 14 and issuing zero walks. His poise on the mound helped settle the tone early and carried the Trojans through tense moments.

“I was trying to throw strikes and let the guys play behind me,” Williams said simply, deflecting credit to his defense.

Bethel opened the scoring in the second inning when Coulby Mcqueery drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Trojans a 1–0 lead. The game remained tight until the fifth inning, when Greenville Christian took brief advantage of a miscue in center field to plate two runs and momentarily seize momentum.

But that shift was short-lived.

Jonathan Turnage, who had committed the error earlier in the inning, came through in a big way at the plate. His two-run single into shallow right field not only gave Bethel the lead back but ignited a five-run frame that all but sealed the win.

Turnage finished 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs, while Jonathan White also made his presence felt with a 1-for-3 performance that included a pair of RBIs.

“A lot of heart, we played hard I thought the whole time,” said head coach Kenny Sutton. “We made some mistakes that we should not make at this time of the season, but we did our job well enough to come out and win on top of it.”

The win improves Bethel Christian Academy to 7–0 in conference play and gives the Trojans valuable momentum heading into spring break. They’re set to return to action on Monday, April 28, when they host Faith Christian Academy.