JOHN DAY — The Grant Union/Prairie City Lady Prospector softball team is just one win away from a third straight trip to the OSAA 2A softball championship game after its second straight dominant postseason outing.

The Lady Pros dismantled the Santiam Lady Wolverines 15-0 in four innings on Friday, May 24, at the Seventh Street Sports Complex in John Day, scoring eight runs in the first inning to seize control of the contest and never relinquish it.

Friday’s game had an oddly similar start and finish to the Lady Pros’ first round victory over Myrtle Point/Powers on Wednesday, May 22. Both started with a home run to score the game’s first runs.

Addy Northway, who provided the opening homer in the first game, drew a walk on her initial at-bat on Friday. Next up was second baseman Sivanna Hodge, who hit a soaring home run to center field to bring herself and Northway across the plate for a 2-0 Lady Pro lead.

Hodge would also provide the cap to the team’s first-inning blitz, blasting an RBI double that gave the Lady Pros their seventh and eighth runs of the opening frame.

With the team up 14-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Lady Pro third baseman Halle Parsons stepped up to the plate and closed the door on the Lady Wolverines in a similar fashion to the way she ended the Lady Pros’ battle with Myrtle Point/Powers. Parsons belted a solo home run, ending the game via mercy rule and giving the Lady Prospectors a convincing 15-0 win.

The Lady Pros were great at the plate, with everybody in the lineup registering at least one hit against Santiam. Hodge, Parsons and Gracee Hueckman led the home team with two hits each.

Hodge finished with a game-high five RBIs and Hueckman had four RBIs to pace the Lady Pros on offense. Grant Union/Prairie City hit .500 overall in the game, racking up 12 hits in 24 plate appearances as a team.

Senior pitcher Drew Williams was again in full command of the game, allowing no runs or hits while striking out 10 Lady Wolverine batters.

Grant Union/Prairie City head softball coach Zach Williams said the team’s great performance at the plate came because of preparation and familiarity with the opposing pitcher.

“They had a good approach,” he said. “We kind of knew what we were facing coming in — we did face her last year in the same round of the state playoffs.”

The Lady Pros are on something of a collision course with Weston-McEwen, their opponent in the state final last year. The Tigerscots defeated the Lady Pros twice this season and are in the state semifinals themselves as the overall 2 seed.

“We’d love another shot at them, but we don’t control things on that side of the bracket,” Williams said of the potential rematch.

The Lady Pros will look to punch their ticket back to the state championship game for the third consecutive year when they welcome North Douglas to the Seventh Street Sports Complex on Tuesday, May 28.

Start time for that game is scheduled for 4 p.m.