The Gladstone Gladiators will take on the Crook County Cowboys at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last five times Gladstone and Molalla have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Wednesday. The Gladiators put the hurt on the Indians with a sharp 8-1 win. The victory continues a trend for the Gladiators in their matchups with the Indians: they've now won three in a row.
Ashlynne Franssen
| 04/30/25 vs Molalla | 12 |
| 04/28/25 @ Molalla | 15 |
| 04/24/25 @ The Dalles | 14 |
| 04/23/25 vs The Dalles | 17 |
| 04/21/25 vs Estacada | 15 |
| + 10 more games |
Ashlynne Franssen made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Kaitlyn Totten was a standout: she went 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That double was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Gabriella Gunderson, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Crook County never let their opponents score on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Madras as they made off with a 17-0 win.
The team relied heavily on Chloe McKenzie, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI, three runs, and two doubles. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in March. Kya Mozingo was another key player, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with four runs, one double, and one RBI.
Gladstone's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-7. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Crook County, their victory bumped their record up to 10-7.
Gladstone couldn't quite finish off Crook County when the teams last played back in May of 2024 and fell 8-6. Will the Gladiators have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
