Gladstone sophomore Emma Trombley secures a flyout during a game against Kingsford on April 30, 2025 at Gladstone High School. (“The Big Dog” Mitch Vosburg/Daily Press)

GLADSTONE — Players emerge at times you least expect it. Unless your Gladstone sophomore Emma Trombley, who played her best pair of games to date as the Braves improved to 13-0 with a doubleheader sweep over Kingsford on Wednesday.

The sophomore southpaw finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored in the No. 9 spot in the lineup and recorded four putouts in a 9-2 game one win. She was then thrusted into the lead-off spot in game two and finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, two stolen bases and two runs scored at a 12-2 win in five innings.

“She had a breakout day today,” Braves coach Scott Herioux said of Trombley. “We’ve been working on a couple of things in practice in terms of encouraging her aggressiveness in center field. She did that great today in center field, and she was hitting lights out.

“She can be a real difference maker, but she has to believe. After (Wednesday) maybe she starts to believe.”

Of course Wednesday’s doubleheader wasn’t solely off the back of Trombley. Game one saw freshman Lauren Pare obliterate the first pitch she saw in the third frame over the fence in left field for a two-run home run as part of a six-run stanza for the purple and white after seniors Lauren Sundquist and Tia Schone whaled back-to-back RBI singles.

Schone took the win in the circle, walking one and striking out nine across 4 2/3 innings of work. Pare allowed two unearned runs off seven hits with a walk in 2 1/3 innings.

Sundquist finished 3-for-4 with four stolen bases, two RBIs and two runs scored.

The Braves jumped on the Flivvers in game two behind a five-run second inning thanks to RBI knocks from Trombley and Schone, a two-run double from Pare and an RBI groundout from Maddy Sundquist.

Schone finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs from the plate and struck out five across two perfect innings from the circle. Pare finished 1-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored and allowed two earned runs off four hits with a walk and three strikeouts in the circle.

Lauren Sundquist scored three runs and stole three bases. Senior Brooklyn Pendergraft finished 1-for-2 with an RBI, run scored and a stolen base.

“We have to stay gritty,” Herioux said of the undefeated Braves. “We just have to keep focused and keep going. We’re hitting on certain spots and missing on others. We have to keep putting the pieces together, but it’s never perfect, right?”