Grant Union boys face Elgin for third to state Thursday

Published 11:38 am Tuesday, May 15, 2018

The Grant Union Prospector baseball team will move on to their second 2A/1A Special District 6 playoff game after a come-from-behind 8-7 win over the Heppner/Ione Mustangs Friday in John Day.

Grant Union will face the Elgin Huskies at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 17, in John Day in a contest which decides who takes the third spot to state.

Elgin beat Culver 3-0 on Friday. In the regular season, Grant Union was 2-1 over Elgin, the Prospectors beating the Huskies 12-0 in Elgin on March 10.

Grant Union dropped game one of a May 14 doubleheader 2-0 to Elgin, then came back to win game two 8-7.

Grant Union is ranked No. 17 among OSAA’s 2A/1A teams with a 7-5 league record, 13-11 overall. Out of 24 games, they’ve scored 166 runs and allowed 115 runs.

Elgin is ranked No. 22 with a 6-6 league record, and 7-7 overall. Out of 14 games, the Huskies have scored 64 runs and allowed 61 runs.

On Friday, Grant Union was down 4-2 going into the fourth inning when Prospector Wade Reimers singled, sending Russell Hodge and Zack Deiter home.

Heppner broke the tie in the sixth, coming back with a score of 7-4. In the bottom, Reimers scored Deiter, and then two Grant Union sacrifice flies tied the score again, 7-7.

Warner Robertson pitched five innings with Logan McCluskey relieving in the sixth. McCluskey struck out two batters, and at third base, Robertson caught a foul for an out in the top of the seventh.

Prospector Jacob Vaughan played aggressively in the bottom of the inning, stealing two bases after hitting a single. He scored off of Deiter’s bunt for the win.

“We never gave up,” said Grant Union head coach Dusty Williams. “We were down twice, and we kept battling back. We played good team baseball today.”

Williams said “a little squeeze play” won the game.

Deiter said now the team will have take it game by game to keep playing.

“It was nice to see us all working low, playing good and all the hard work paying off,” he said.

Williams said he’s looking forward to Thursday’s game.

“It’s going to be a heck of a game,” he said. “I hope the community comes out and supports these boys.”