Pros record 12th win of season

JOHN DAY — The Grant Union/Prairie City baseball team went on a tear over the past week, starting with a convincing road win over the Nyssa Bulldogs on Thursday, April 20, and culminating with a pair of lopsided beatdowns of league rivals Pilot Rock/Nixyaawii/Ukiah two days later on Saturday, April 22, at Malone Field.

The Prospectors saw the Bulldogs strike first in their match with Nyssa, surrendering three runs in the bottom of the second inning. The Pros would respond to tie the game in the fourth via a Riddick Hutchison three-run double.

The Pros would add another pair of runs in the fifth inning and another three in the sixth to take a comfortable 8-3 advantage into the final inning of play. The Pros would add another run in the seventh following an error to leave the Bulldogs with a 9-3 deficit and half an inning to stage a rally.

The Pros would surrender a run to the Bulldogs in the bottom of the seventh, but their lead held and the team headed back to John Day with a 9-4 non-league win over the Bulldogs.

Riddick Hutchison paced the Pros offensively, finishing 2-4 at the plate with three RBIs. The Pros had four players finish the game with an RBI.

The Pros used three pitchers in the contest, with Syrus Workman putting in the most work with three innings pitched. Workman struck out six batters while surrendering a run.

Two days later the Pros welcomed the Rockets of Pilot Rock/Nixyaawii/Ukiah to Malone Field for a doubleheader and laid a pair of lopsided beatings on the visiting squad.

The first game was a 19-3 victory that was over after five innings. The Pros were already up 7-3 before a monster 11-run fourth inning sealed the deal.

Grant Union/Prairie City would add another run in the top of the fifth inning for good measure while holding the Rockets scoreless in the bottom of the fifth. Prospector bats came to life to the tune of 20 hits in the game.

Lukas Blood’s three RBIs on 3-4 batting paced the Pros in the win. Hutchison had another productive game, finishing 2-4 at the plate with four RBIs.

Weston Suchorski put in the most work on the mound for the Pros, pitching 3 1⁄5 innings while striking out five batters.

The second game of the doubleheader was a 10-0 shutout win that again ended after five innings. The Pros jumped out early, scoring nine runs in the first two innings of play.

Another run in the third inning brought the score to 10-0. The Pros wouldn’t score for the remainder of the game, but that didn’t matter as the Rockets couldn’t get on the board either.

The 10-0 win leaves the Pros at 12-4 on the season with a 7-2 mark in league play. The Pros will take the field next when they welcome Nyssa to Malone Field on Thursday, April 27. The game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start time.

Grant Union boys fourth in Nyssa

NYSSA — The Grant Union boys and girls track teams competed against 12 other teams in the Don Walker Invite in Nyssa on Friday, April 21, leaving with a fourth-place boys finish and a seventh-place girls finish.

Brady Dole led the Prospectors in the track events with a pair of top four finishes, finishing third in the 1,500 meter race with a time of 4:43.54 and fourth in the 3,000 meters with a time of 10:14.52. Skylor Boyd was the highest placer for the Pro boys, finishing second in the 110 hurdles with a time of 18.46.

The Pro boys also picked up a pair of fourth-place finishes from Landon Boyd in the 110 hurdles and the 4×400 relay team comprised of Taylor Gosnell, Landon Boyd, Skylor Boyd and Brady Dole.

Tucker Carpenter was dominant in field events for the Pros, finishing as the top man in the shot put with a throw of 39 feet, 1 inch. Carpernter also took second in the discus with a throw of 110 feet, 5 inches.

Quinn Larson’s second-place finish in the pole vault was the last top five finish for the Prospector boys at the event. Larson finished with a jump of 10 feet, 6 inches.

The Prospector boys scored 72 team points to place fourth at the meet. First-place Nessa finished with 137 team points, with second-place Burns scoring 82 and third-place Victory Charter ending the meet with 80.5 team points. The Pros edged out fifth-place Ontario, which finished with 67 team points.

The Lady Pros were led in track events by sophomore Morgan Randleas, who finished fourth in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 20.01. Macy Carter and Aliciana Archibald both notched sixth-place finishes in the 1,500 meter race and 300 meter hurdles, respectively.

Filed events for the Lady Pros were capped by a pair of fifth-place finishes by Mallory Lusco in the discus throw and Macy Carter in the pole vault. Lusco threw for a distance of 89 feet, 10.5 inches, and Carter cleared a height of 6 feet, 6 inches in the pole vault.

The Lady Pros finished seventh with 36.5 team points. Sixth-place Vale finished with 54 team points, while first-place Nyssa finished well ahead of the pack with 129 team points.

The Pros will be in action next on Saturday, April 29, when they travel to Union for the 14th annual Pepsi Invitational. First events start at 1 p.m.

Grant County rodeo has strong showing in Hermiston

HERMISTION — A group of Grant County rodeo athletes represented the county well during the Oregon High School Rodeo Association’s Spring Rodeo in Hermiston Thursday-Sunday, April 20-23.

Jack Strong continued his fine season, winning the average for bull riding while placing second in the first and second rounds of the event. Frankie Beam also rode bull in the second round, finishing third.

Rowdy Israel pulled double duty at the rodeo, competing in the first round of breakaway while being tasked with the grand entry each day as the reigning OHSRA queen. Dally Moore also competed in breakaway while also helping with the grand entry.

Next up for the group is a competition in Prineville that starts on Friday, May 5 and concludes on Sunday, May 7.