The Grant Union/Prairie City baseball team huddles around coach RC Huerta in between innings during their 4-2 win over Irrigon in the opening round of the 1A/2A Special District 7 baseball playoff on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at Malone Field in John Day.

JOHN DAY — The Grant Union/Prairie City Prospector baseball team secured their first postseason win of the 2023 season, rallying from a 2-0 deficit to down the Irrigon Knights 4-2 in the opening round of the 1A/2A Special District 7 playoffs on Tuesday, May 9, at Malone Field in John Day.

Irrigon drew first blood in the first encounter of the season between the teams, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Ryland Beil would cut that lead in half in the bottom of the first, crossing home plate following a wild pitch to put the score at 2-1 headed into the second.

The Knights appeared poised to add to their lead in the third inning after loading the bases with just a single out. Prospector Pitcher Talon VanCleave answered the call, however, getting two of his 13 strikeouts in the top of the third to pitch his way out of the jam and keep the Pros within striking distance.

The game would remain at 2-1 until the bottom of the fourth, when the Pros would get the equalizer. A sacrifice fly by Weston Suchorski brought Sheldon Lenz home to tie the game at 2-all headed into the fifth inning.

The Pros would hold the Knights scoreless in the top of the fifth and complete their rally in the bottom of the inning.

VanCleave stepped up to the plate with two runners on base and crushed a fly ball to center field. The hit, officially counted as a double, drove in two runs to give the Pros a 4-2 lead with just two innings of play left.

The offense had done their part. Now it was time for the Prospector defense to close the door.

RC Huerta’s squad rose to the challenge, allowing no hits and no baserunners through the final two innings of play to seal the come-from-behind win and advance to the next round of the district tournament.

VanCleave did it all for the Pros in the first round game, finishing with a pair of RBIs on 1-3 batting while also getting the win on the mound. VanCleave pitched the full game, surrendering five hits and two runs while striking out 13 batters.

The win is the team’s ninth in a row and pushes their 2023 record to 17-4.

Huerta said the win all boils down to preparation.

“It all goes into the preparation the guys have been doing. They work hard in practice. They’re prepared to play every single day,” he said.

“As long as they continue to do that stuff, they’re never going to be down, really. They’re always going to make a comeback. They’re always going to work hard.”

Next up for the 12th-ranked Pros is a matchup with 10th ranked Heppner/Ione on Friday, May 12, in Heppner, where the Pros will be looking for a little revenge. The only matchup between the teams this season was a 5-4 loss for the Pros on Friday, March 24.

The game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start.