Softball Game Preview: Gresham Gophers vs. Sandy Pioneers

Gresham has gone 8-2 against Sandy recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Gophers will take on the Pioneers at 5:00 p.m. Gresham will be looking to extend their current six-game winning streak.

Gresham lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Nelson, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Wednesday's match. The Gophers put the hurt on Nelson with a sharp 17-8 victory on Wednesday. The Gophers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 14 contests by eight runs or more this season.

Ayden Gardenhire

Base on Balls Against

05/14/25 vs Nelson	1
05/05/25 @ Clackamas	0
04/28/25 vs Nelson	2
04/25/25 vs Central Catholic	2
04/21/25 vs Reynolds	1
04/14/25 @ Forest Grove	1

Ayden Gardenhire made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching five innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two home runs and three RBI while going 2-for-3. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March.

In other batting news, Gresham got a massive performance out of La Terra Foster-Frison, who went 2-for-5 with one home run and two runs. Suntaya Riddle was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.

Gresham lost a few balls and finished the game with seven home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Sandy fell victim to Barlow and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They fell just short of the Bruins by a score of 1-0.

Gresham pushed their record up to 17-6 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Sandy, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-9.

Everything went Gresham's way against Sandy in their previous meeting two weeks ago, as Gresham made off with a 10-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Gophers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.