The Washington-Wilkes Tigers will square off against the Aquinas Fightin' Irish at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Washington-Wilkes has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with four straight losses, while Aquinas will come in with six straight wins.
Washington-Wilkes came up short against Thomson on Saturday, falling 10-3.
Braxton Reed was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run while going 2-for-2. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Jordan Dawson was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Aquinas). Everything went their way against Baldwin on Friday as Aquinas made off with a 14-4 victory. Considering the Fightin' Irish have won five contests by more than nine runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
The team relied heavily on CJ Johnson, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He is also on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stole at least one in each of the last six games he's played. Another player making a difference was James Sherry, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-2.
Aquinas' win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.8 runs on average over those games. As for Washington-Wilkes, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-7.
Tuesday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Washington-Wilkes has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .434. However, it's not like Aquinas struggles in that department as they've averaged .481. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Washington-Wilkes took their victory against Aquinas in their previous meeting back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 9-0. Does Washington-Wilkes have another victory up their sleeve, or will Aquinas turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
