Softball suffers first loss, rebounds with two wins

JOHN DAY — The Grant Union/Prairie City softball team took their first loss of the season, falling to 3A Burns on Wednesday, April 12, then dished out a pair of beatings to in-conference 2A foes Lyle/Wishram/Klickitat on Friday, April 14.

The game on Wednesday, April 12, saw the Lady Prospectors suffer an 8-0 loss to visiting Burns. The Lady Hilanders carried a 1-0 lead through five innings before a six-run offensive blitz in the sixth built their lead to 7-0.

The Lady Hilanders would add another run in the seventh inning while holding the Lady Pros scoreless through the final frame to head back to Burns with an 8-0 win.

Addy Northway and Reece Jacobs were the only Lady Pros to register a hit in the game.

Drew Williams pitched the entire game for the Lady Pros, giving up six hits while striking out nine batters. Of the eight runs that were given up by Williams, none was earned.

A doubleheader at home against Lyle/Wishram/Klickitat on Friday, April 14, saw the Lady Pros get back on the winning track. The Grant Union/Prairie City squad pounded the Lady Cougars for a pair of shutout victories, 15-0 and 20-0.

The Lady Pros got off to a fast start in the first game, scoring a whopping 10 runs in the first inning to coast to a 15-0 three-inning win. Savannah Watterson finished a perfect 2-2 at the plate while knocking in three RBIs.

Both Laken McKay and Taylor Palmateer finished 1-2 at the plate, with three RBIs each. Williams pitched the entire first game, surrendering one hit while striking out four batters.

The second game was another rout. Again, the Lady Pros started off hot, scoring a dizzying 15 runs in the first inning en route to the 20-0 win.

Halle Parsons continued her spectacular season for the Lady Pros, finishing a perfect 3-3 at the plate with a whopping four RBIs. Raney Anderson was also perfect at the plate, finishing 2-2 with a pair of RBIs. Palmateer had another strong game, going 1-2 with a pair of RBIs.

The set of three games leaves the Lady Pros at 9-1 on the season with a perfect 6-0 league record. The Lady Pros will look to keep their momentum going when they travel to Pilot Rock for a doubleheader with Pilot Rock/Nixyaawii/Ukiah on Friday, April 21.

The games have 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. start times.

Prospector baseball takes one from Burns

JOHN DAY — The Grant Union/Prairie City Prospector baseball team welcomed the Burns Hilanders to Malone Field on Wednesday, April 12, and sent them back to Burns with a 10-3 loss.

The Division 2A Pros found themselves up 2-0 headed into the third inning before the 3A Hilanders rallied to take a 3-2 lead. The Pros would answer, scoring four runs of their own in the third to take a 6-3 lead headed into the fourth.

The Pros would hold Burns scoreless throughout the remainder of the game while adding another four runs in the sixth inning. Neither team scored in the seventh and final inning, leaving the Pros with the 10-3 win.

Sheldon Lenz paced the Pros offensively, finishing 1-3 at the plate with a pair of RBIs. Syrus Workman didn’t log a hit in three at-bats but still managed to finish the game with a pair of RBIs.

Eric Culley was perfect at the plate in the game, finishing 2-2 with an RBI.

The Pros relied on a three-man rotation on the mound, with Weston Suchorski striking out four batters while surrendering three hits in four innings of work. Talon VanCleave pitched just over two innings, striking out five batters while giving up three runs on five hits. Ryland Beil pitched less than an inning in the game for the Pros.

The win brings the Pros to 7-4 on the season with a 4-2 league record. The Grant Union/Prairie City baseball team will be in action next on Thursday, April 20, when they travel to Nyssa. Start time for the game is 5 p.m. Mountain time.