Grant Union/Prairie City Lady Pros suffer rare defeat against Pendleton

Published 5:15 pm Friday, May 19, 2023

Grant Union/Prairie City’s Drew Williams pitches during her team’s matchup with Pendleton on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at the Seventh Street Sports Complex in John Day.

The Grant Union/Prairie City Lady Prospector softball team did something they rarely do in their game against Pendleton on Tuesday, May 16 — they fell short, losing 16-5 after six innings.

The 2A Lady Pros would trail early and later cut into the Lady Buckaroo lead before a sixth-inning scoring spurt by 3A Pendleton put the game out of reach.

Led by a three-run triple in the first, the Lady Buckaroos drew first blood, tacking five runs on the board in the top of the inning.

A solo home run followed by a two-run shot in the top of the second saw the Lady Buckaroos extend their lead to 8-0 and had them looking like they were about to run away with the game.

Not so fast. A five-run outburst by the Grant Union/Prairie City, led by a massive grand slam by Addy Northway, saw the Pendleton lead cut by more than half as the Lady Pros seemingly snatched the momentum from the Lady Buckaroos.

The Buckaroos would add another run in the top of the third to take a 9-5 lead into the fourth.

The Lady Pros, meanwhile, wouldn’t score another run in the game. Neither would Pendleton, until a seven-run explosion in the bottom of the sixth saw the Lady Buckaroos extend their lead to 11 runs at 16-5.

The Lady Pros had one last chance to keep the game alive, score two runs to cut the lead to less than 10 and look to rally in the final inning of play. A comeback wasn’t in the script, however, and the Lady Pros gave up three consecutive outs to end the game with a 16-5 loss at the end of the sixth inning.

Northway was the unquestioned offensive leader for the Lady Pros on the afternoon, finishing 1-3 at the plate with a home run and four RBIs. Laken McKay, while not registering a hit, drew a walk during a patient at-bat with the bases loaded and was credited with an RBI.

Drew Williams pitched five of the six innings for the Lady Pros and took the loss in the circle. Williams, regarded as one of the best pitchers in the state, had an off-day, surrendering 11 hits and 12 earned runs while still managing to strike out seven batters.

The Lady Pros have only lost two games this season and four over the past two post-COVID seasons. The team was looking to avenge one of those losses when it traveled to Burns on Thursday, May 18.

After finishing as the runner-up for a state title last year, the team is looking to make another deep run in the state playoffs. The Lady Pros are currently the second-ranked team in the OSAA rankings for 2A softball.

If they maintain that ranking after the Burns game and subsequent OSAA ratings freeze on the night of Thursday, May 18, the road to the state title could once again run through John Day.

The Lady Pros will open state tournament play on Wednesday, May 24, at the Seventh Street Sports Complex in John Day. The Lady Pros will play the winner of Santiam and Lost River, who play on Monday, May 24. Time is to be determined.

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