Baseball Game Preview: Aquinas Fightin' Irish vs. Burke County Bears

The Aquinas Fightin' Irish will venture away from home to face off against the Burke County Bears at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Aquinas knows how to get runs on the board -- the team has finished with ten runs or more in their past three games -- so hopefully Burke County likes a good challenge.

Aquinas made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Cross Creek, but they still couldn't quite topple them. Everything went Aquinas' way against Cross Creek on Wednesday as Aquinas made off with a 19-0 victory. The Fightin' Irish's pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last three matchups.

CJ Johnson

Stolen Base

03/19/25 @ Cross Creek	4
03/14/25 @ Howard	1
03/11/25 vs Howard	1

CJ Johnson made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in February of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing Four bases. while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played.

In other batting news, Aquinas got a massive performance out of Greg Doman, who scored three runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Jim Franklin, who scored three runs and stole Three bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.

Aquinas was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .571. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Burke County ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They skirted past Georgia School for Innovation & Classics 4-3. The win was familiar territory for the Bears, who have now won three games in a row.

Aquinas' record now sits at 10-4. As for Burke County, the victory was their first at home , bumping their record up to 5-7.

Aquinas skirted past Burke County 8-7 in their previous meeting back in February. The rematch might be a little tougher for Aquinas since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.