Grant Union's Riley Robertson, a senior, steps up to the plate on Friday, April 1, 2022, during the Lady Pros' doubleheader against Echo.

JOHN DAY — The Grant Union/Prairie City team collected a pair of league wins Friday, April 1, with a doubleheader sweep of Echo that extended the squad’s season-opening win streak to eight.

The undefeated Lady Pros handed Echo a 12-2 shellacking in the first game and dominated the second game, winning it 15-5.

Zach Williams, Grant Union/Prairie City’s head coach, said that in addition to stellar pitching performances from aces Drew Williams and Halle Parsons in Friday’s doubleheader, the team put up a solid offensive and defensive effort.

“Top to bottom, the lineup hit well,” Williams said. “They played great defense and pitched well. You do those three things, you are usually pretty successful.”

In the first game, Williams said, the Lady Pros got behind by a couple of runs but kept it together and waited for the pitches at the plate.

It did not take long for the team’s bats to come alive, with Rainey Anderson and Parsons hitting home runs.

Anderson, who went two for two with a walk, notched five RBIs in the game, while Parsons was three for four and had four RBIs.

The offensive onslaught also saw extra-base hits from Savannah Watterson, Riley Robertson, Paige Gerry, Sivanna Hodge, Williams, Parsons and Addy Northway.

Meanwhile, Drew Williams was lights out from the mound. Before the 10-run “mercy” rule ended the first game in six innings, the sophomore allowed one earned run, gave up just six hits and struck out 14.

In the second game, which went the complete seven innings, Drew Williams and Parsons kept Echo’s bats from doing too much damage, giving up 11 hits and five earned runs.

Meanwhile, Drew Williams helped herself when she hit a home run late in the game, while Watterson, Anderson, Reece Jacobs and Hodge all had extra-base hits.

Asked how it feels to be ranked first in their division, Williams said it puts a lot of pressure on the team.

As the top-ranked squad, they are the team to beat, he said.

“In a perfect world,” Williams said, “we’d be No. 1 on the last day of the season and No. 5 the rest of the year.”