Panther track kicks off in Harper

HARPER — The Prairie City boys and girls track teams began their 2023 campaign in Harper, competing against 13 other schools in the Diana Thurmond Track Meet on Friday, March 24.

The teams picked up 11 top five finishes at the meet, including a trio of first-place finishes by Eli and Tucker Wright.

Tucker Wright notched a win in the triple jump with a distance of 39 feet, 1 ¼ inches.

Eli Wright finished first in the javelin with a throw of 149 feet, 9 inches. He also won the high jump with a jump of 6 feet, 3 inches.

Other top five finishes for the boys included second place in the long jump for Tucker Wright with a mark of 18 feet, 6¼ inches.

The Panthers also logged a trio of third-place finishes by Elliott Andrew in the 3,000 meter race with a time of 11:14.42, the 4×100 meter relay team with a time of 47.71 and Cody Reagan in the shot put with a throw of 38 feet, 10½ inches.

Trey Brown left Harper with fourth- and fifth-place finishes in the shot put and javelin. Brown finished with throws of 37 feet, 6 inches in the shot put and 115 feet in the javelin. Eli Wright finished fifth in the shot put with a throw of 37 feet, 3 inches.

Recording the only top five finishes for the Lady Panther track team was Brooke Teel, who finished third in the triple jump with a distance of 28 feet, 3½ inches and fourth in the long jump with a distance of 12 feet, 9¼ inches.

Both the boys and girls track teams will be in action next at home for the Prairie City Annual Meet on Friday, April 7. Field events start at 4 p.m., with track events getting underway at 4:30 p.m.

Prospector baseball goes 1-1 to start season

JOHN DAY — The Grant Union/Prairie City baseball team finally took the field after a weather cancellation kept them from playing their scheduled season opener.

The Prospectors got their 2023 season underway with a game against Baker/Powder Valley on Wednesday, March 22, at the Seventh Street Sports Complex in John Day. The Pros dispatched the Bulldogs 9-3 to win their season opener.

Two days later, the Pros played a rescheduled game with Heppner/Ione that was originally set to happen on Thursday, March 16. The Pros lost a close decision to the Mustangs to go 1-1 during their first week of play during the 2023 season.

The Mustangs got the scoring started first, picking up a pair of runs in the first inning for a 2-0 lead. Another run in the third inning increased the Mustang lead to 3-0 before the Pros made a run.

A two-run fourth inning drew the Pros to within a run at 3-2. Heppner would add a run in the top of the fifth for a little breathing room and a 4-2 advantage.

A two-run sixth inning for the Pros left the game all tied at four headed into the seventh and final inning. The Mustangs would add a run in the seventh and keep the Pros off the board during the bottom half of the inning to escape with a 5-4 win.

The Pros will be in action next during the Strawberry Mountain Slugfest, where the team will play three games over two days starting on Thursday, March 30. The Pros will play Nyssa at noon on the 30th before playing Joseph/Enterprise/Wallowa and Ontario the following day.

The game against Joseph/Enterprise/Wallowa is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. and the game against Ontario is slated for a 3 p.m. start time.