A10
PAGE LABEL
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
WEDNESDAY
May 8, 2019
Grant Union/Prairie City softball team tops District 6
One game remains
May 14 before
playoffs
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant Union/Prairie
City Prospectors claimed the
league title May 4 after their
doubleheader sweep over
Heppner/Ione 16-0 and 23-4
at the Seventh Street Com-
plex in John Day.
The Prospectors won both
games in fi ve innings with
the 10-run rule.
Heading into the double-
header, Grant Union needed
just one win to secure the top
spot in 2A/1A District 6.
“It was an emotional day,”
said Prospector head coach
Zach Williams.
It was senior recogni-
tion day for a group of fi ve
seniors he’s coached for sev-
eral years.
“I love them,” he said.
“They’re awesome girls.
They are amazing humans.
They’re not just great soft-
ball players.”
It was also a fun day, he
said.
“Now we want to play
fi ve more — that’s our goal,”
he said.
Prospector Macy Strong,
a senior, pitched game one
Saturday and was tough at
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union Prospector Macy Strong pitches game one of
Saturday’s doubleheader against Heppner/Ione.
the plate. She singled for 2
RBIs in the second inning.
Grant
Union
made
another offensive push in the
third inning when senior Hai-
lie Wright hit a two-run home
run, followed by senior Madi
McKrola’s double, which
sent sophomore Jordyn
Young home. Senior Marissa
Smith then singled and sent
McKrola home, bringing the
score to 10-0.
Taylor Allen, a junior,
pitched game two and was
also strong at the plate, hit-
ting a three-run homer in the
fourth inning, sending McK-
rola and Smith home.
Strong and Allen threw
well, although they weren’t
100 percent, Williams said,
noting Strong has been deal-
ing with a foot injury and it
was a hot day.
“The girls hit the ball
well,” he said. “They made
adjustments today and put
the ball in play hard and
played defense.”
He continued, “They
didn’t really make any mis-
takes to speak of on defense,
and that’s what we ask of
them — make routine plays
routine, do little things right
and everything else will fall
into place.”
Grant Union has one more
nonleague game scheduled
against Union/Cove at 4 p.m.
Tuesday, May 14, in Baker
City before the start of state
playoffs on Tuesday, May 20.
See Softball, Page A13
Grant Union track
teams place fi rst at
home invitational
Five Grant
County teams
compete and prep
for districts
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The 2A Grant Union
Prospector girls team won
their home invitational on
Friday with 215.50 points,
staying ahead of the Enter-
prise Outlaws by 58 points.
The Grant Union boys
tied with the 3A Burns
Hilanders with 140 points
for fi rst.
A total of nine teams
battled in what was the
fi nal meet before district
championships,
includ-
ing the 1A Prairie City
boys and girls — both
fi nishing in fourth place.
Monument, Long Creek
and Dayville teams also
competed.
The Prospector girls
had a boost for the win
from athletes placing
fi rst in 10 events, includ-
ing Kaylee Wright, Abby
Lusco, Sydney Brock-
way, Trinity Hutchison
and the 4x100-meter relay
team with Wright, Hutchi-
son, Sierra Cates and Car-
son Weaver — the team
recording their fastest time
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union Prospector
Mason
Morris
takes
fl ight at the Grant Union
Invitational.
this season at 51.27, shav-
ing 14 seconds off their
previous record.
Grant Union head
coach Sonna Smith said
it was a good opportunity
to have their District 5
opponents from Enterprise
attend the home meet.
“We had some great
competition with them,
and it gave us a better idea
of what we will have to
do at district to make it to
state,” she said. “We had
a strong showing by our
girls team that was capped
See Teams, Page A13
Contributed photo/LindseyWyllie.com
Grant Union High School freshman Sam McCracken at the state fi nals for cutting in Hermiston.
Grant Union freshman qualifi es for
National High School Finals Rodeo
Sam McCracken places second in cutting event in Hermiston
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
G
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
rant Union fresh-
man Sam McCracken
has qualifi ed for the
National High School
Finals Rodeo in Wyo-
ming after placing second in cutting
at the state competition.
The state fi nals for the cutting
event was held April 19 at the Herm-
iston High School Rodeo.
The Oregon High School Rodeo
Association State Finals for other
events will be held June 12-15 in
Prineville.
McCracken has been involved in
youth rodeo events, but this was his
fi rst run at the cutting event.
Cutting is a competition in which
a rider and his horse work as a team
to demonstrate the horse’s athleti-
cism and ability to handle cattle.
“Cutting has always been fasci-
nating to me. I’ve always liked how
the horses work,” McCracken said.
“Last year, we ended up with a horse
that could cut, so I decided to give
it a try.”
He said his fi rst competition of
the season was rough, but he’s been
practicing at home and with a trainer
in Parma, Idaho, riding his 11-year-
old quarter horse, Casino.
McCracken said he’s enjoyed
being part of the Harney County
High School Rodeo Club. Grant
Union doesn’t have a club at this
time.
The NHSFR is held July 4-20
in Rock Springs, Wyoming, and
McCracken said he might able to
attend.
He said it’s “awesome” to qualify
for the NHSRF as a freshman.
“I hope to become the state cham-
pion in the future,” he said.
Grant Union Prospector Kaylee Wright competes in
javelin Friday at the Grant Union Invitational.
Prospector
baseball team
wins two in
Union
The Grant Union Pros-
pector baseball team, on the
home stretch in their regular
season, had a 13-1 and 10-0
sweep on the road against
the Union/Cove Bobcats in
Union Saturday.
Warner Robertson, a
junior, pitched four innings
in game one, the coach keep-
ing his pitch count down for
this week’s games. Sopho-
more Logan McCluskey fi n-
ished off the game, pitching
one inning.
Tristan Morris, a senior,
made a strong showing,
taking the mound for the
fi rst time this season. His
brother, freshman Mason
Morris, is another talented
Grant Union pitcher.
“He did a great job throw-
ing a fi ve-inning, one-hitter
complete game,” said Grant
Union head coach Doug
Sharp. “And only throw-
ing 59 pitches, which is an
incredible game. He threw
strikes, and the kids played
good defense behind him.”
Sharp said senior Jacob
Vaughan and Tristan Morris
both hit the ball well.
“It was a very productive
game for everyone,” Sharp
said.
This week, Grant Union
hosts Heppner/Ione at 4 p.m.
Wednesday, and Stanfi eld/
Echo at noon and 2 p.m. Sat-
urday at Malone Field.
“Going into this last
week and into the playoffs,
we know we are only con-
cerned with our own prepa-
ration,” Sharp said. “Our
goal is to play to be perfect
even though we know we
will never be — nobody is
— but we want to prepare
SPORTS ROUNDUP
that way.”
Grant Union
Grant Union is ranked
No. 6 among OSAA’s 2A girls golf team
teams, and they have the top places second
record, 11-0, in league for
Special District 7, followed at Buffalo
by Pilot Rock/Nixyaawii/
Peaks course
Ukiah, 7-3.
Sharp said they want to
limit walks and errors and
be fundamentally sound.
“Offensively, we want
to have a good approach
so that we can put the ball
in play hard and force the
other team to make plays,”
he said. “We don’t try to get
fancy.”
He said he feels good
about their chances.
“Our goal is to win state,”
he said. “That’s why the
kids work very hard every
day. Again, if we do the lit-
tle things right consistently,
then our chances are just as
good as any other team. We
are looking forward to that
challenge.”
The Grant Union Pros-
pector girls golf team was
just 1 point away from the
winning Nixyaawii team
at the 2A Invitational at
Buffalo Peak Golf Course
in Union.
There were 82 players
taking on the challenging
par 72 course.
Grant Union head coach
Ron Lundbom said it was
a great day for golf. He
said three of his players
had never seen the Buffalo
Peak course.
“Some course knowl-
edge is important here,”
he said.
For the boys, Burns won
with a score of 374, fol-
lowed by Enterprise with
379 and Vale with 385.
Imbler had 412 for fourth
place, Grant Union had
424 for fifth and Nyssa
had 496.
First place went to
Caden Long of Baker,
scoring 73. Grant Union’s
Devon Stokes shot an 86,
followed by Brady White
of Burns with 87.
Rounding out the Grant
Union boys were Garrett
Lenz with 101, Maverick
Miller with 118 and Logan
Namitz with 119.
On the girls side, Nixy-
aawii shot a 465 for first
place, and Grant Union
shot 466.
The winner for the girls
was Tori Suto of Wallowa,
scoring 73. Tiana Allen of
Vale had 92, Kaytlyn Wells
of Grant Union had 93 and
Taylor Nudd of Baker had
93.
Other Grant Union
scores were Emily Springer
with 116, Maddy Way with
128 and Billy Radinovich
with 129.
Grant Union was fi nish-
ing up district competition
at the Pendleton Country
Club course.
Lundbom said the team
was excited for the district
tournament and had been
working hard to prepare
for it.
“We were there early
in April, and they all want
another chance at this
course,” he said.
The boys are com-
peting in the May 5-7
3A/2A/1A Special District
3, and the girls are in the
4A/3A/2A/1A Special Dis-
trict 4.
The event was con-
tinuing past press time,
and results will be posted
at
myeaglenews.com
as soon as they become
available.