The Crook County Cowboys will head out to take on the Gladstone Gladiators at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Crook County's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed 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 runs she has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Kya Mozingo, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with four runs, one double, and one RBI.
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 blew past the Indians 8-1. The Gladiators haven't had any issues with the Indians recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Ashlynne Franssen made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and not a single walk). She has been consistent for a while: 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 marked the first that she has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Maycee Terry, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Gladstone's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-7. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.8 runs over those games. As for Crook County, their record is now 10-7.
Crook County skirted past Gladstone 8-6 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cowboys since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
