JOHN DAY – Grant Union High School baseball players showed their mental toughness.

After a close 6-5 loss to always-tough opponent Vale last Friday, April 16, the Prospectors came back to win a second game 14-8.

Coach Brian Delaney attributes the successful second game to his team’s mind-set.

The Vale match-up was the biggest one the boys will face this year, so the loss in the first game was “a tough one to swallow,” said Delaney.

“We dug ourselves a hole too deep to get out of. I’m really proud how the guys battled and battled trying to get back in it,” he explained. “The guys showed their unwillingness to let down and lose. They just came out short.”

Several Vale errors were capitalized on.

At bat, Kyle Weymouth went 2-4 with a single, double and one run scored. Jared Stearns was 1-4, with a single and one run scored. Cody Williams went 2-3, had two singles, one run scored and two stolen bases. Gage Immoos went 1-3 with one single and one run.

The Vikings’ Ryan Nyborg got 15 strikeouts on the Prospectors. Nyborg, like Grant Union’s Cody Williams, has been on the mound since freshman year.

For the Pros, Williams pitched the entire first game. “He threw a really good one,” said Delaney, with 10 strikeouts, four walks, and one hit batter. “Unfortunately Williams had to take a loss. Our guys know they have to get better at helping out our pitchers, playing better defense,” the coach also said.

The Prospectors “really bounced back” in game two, said Delaney. “They really wanted it, they realized they let Vale get away with one. They had a better mind-set for game two. They played really well. I’m really proud of the guys,” he added.

Weymouth got the win as pitcher for the entire game. He struck out six batters. The rest of the team was great in fielding, the coach said.

“We played really well. This (series of games) could’ve gotten out of hand, but Kyle (Weymouth) shook it off (the first loss) and got the win. The guys never felt like we were down. It was how they reacted to the situation.”

At bat, Weymouth scored one run, Sterns went 3-3 with three singles and four runs scored. Williams had 1-2 with a home run, a 3-run home run and three scored runs. Immoos had one stolen base and two RBIs. Dillon Porter went 2-3 with a double, single, and two runs scored, and Taylor Temple went 1-3 with a three-run home run. Dominic DeHaven scored one run.

A doubleheader versus nonleague Sisters set for last Saturday, April 17 was rescheduled to Saturday, May 8.

The Prospectors play a doubleheader with Burns this Friday, April 23 at home, beginning at 1 p.m. Delaney said the Highlanders have always been a tough opponent, although they’re a pretty young team. “They always come ready to play, and we expect the best from them,” he added.