Gladstone and Crook County are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2018, but likely not for long. The Gladiators will be playing at home against the Cowboys at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Crook County will face off against a team with plenty of momentum: Gladstone extended their winning streak to eight on Wednesday. The Gladiators blew past Molalla 19-2. With that victory, the Gladiators brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Ashlynne Franssen
| 05/14/25 @ Molalla | 11 |
| 05/12/25 vs The Dalles | 14 |
| 05/08/25 @ Estacada | 18 |
| 05/07/25 @ Madras | 14 |
| 05/05/25 @ Crook County | 15 |
| + 16 more games |
Ashlynne Franssen made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 11 batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Maycee Terry was a standout: she got on base in all four of her plate appearances with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Caroline Ashby, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with three runs, two RBI, and one double.
Gladstone always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .632. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Molalla only posted an OBP of .333.
Meanwhile, Crook County got themselves on the board against Madras on Wednesday, but Madras never followed suit. They put the hurt on the White Buffaloes with a sharp 10-0 win. Winning may never get old, but the Cowboys sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Kendall Martinez and Chloe McKenzie did most of the damage at the plate: Martinez went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two doubles, while McKenzie went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one triple. The team also got some help courtesy of Azsmita Pennington, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and one stolen base.
Gladstone's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-7. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.4 runs over those games. As for Crook County, their victory bumped their record up to 13-11.
Gladstone beat Crook County 7-2 in their previous meeting last Monday. Will the Gladiators repeat their success, or do the Cowboys have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
