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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (May 29, 2019)
WEDNESDAY May 29, 2019 QUARTERFINAL FINALES The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Grant Union/Prairie City Prospector Tristan Morris rounds third base in the Wednesday, May 22, game against the Lakeview Honkers. Prospectors overtaken by Kennedy Grant Union/Prairie City cannot overcome eight-run second inning By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle The Grant Union/Prairie City Prospector baseball team ended their season at the OSAA 2A/1A State Championship quarterfi nal round with a 12-3 loss to the Kennedy Trojans on Friday in Mt. Angel. Kennedy’s eight-run second inning gave the Tro- jans a big early lead in the battle. Calling it a “back breaker,” Prospector head coach Doug Sharp said, “It was one of those innings that nothing went right.” In the top of the fi rst inning, Grant Union had the bases loaded and only one out. “We had a great opportunity to jump on them early, but unfortunately we had a call that went their way, and we came away with nothing,” Sharp said. “Sometimes, you have to have some luck and get some breaks to win a game at the state level,” he con- tinued. “From the beginning, we just didn’t get those. Our talent was just as good as Kennedy’s, though they defi nitely played better on that day.” “The kids, coaches, parents and fans all knew that See Boys, Page B10 Grant Union/Prairie City defeats Lakeview to advance to quarterfi nals The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Grant Union/Prairie City Prospector Tristan Morris pitches the Wednesday, May 22, second-round state playoff game against Lakeview at Malone Field in John Day. The Grant Union/Prai- rie City Prospector base- ball team advanced to the quarterfi nals of the OSAA 2A/1A State Champion- ships after defeating the Lakeview Honkers 8-4 May 22 in John Day. Grant Union/Prairie City’s sharp one-through- nine lineup, junior Tristan Morris’ pitching and a timely catch from fresh- man center fi elder Mason Morris were all elements of the Prospectors’ vic- tory over the Lakeview Honkers in the round-two playoff battle at Malone Field at Seventh Street Complex. “They just hit the ball really well, kept the ball moving, turning over the lineup and got some qual- ity at-bats,” said Pros- pector head coach Doug Sharp of his team. Tristan Morris had two strikeouts in the fi rst inning, but the Honkers’ two-run double put them on the scoreboard early. Prospector senior Roen Langum made sev- eral stops against the Honkers in his position at fi rst base. “Emotions were run- ning high, and everybody had nerves going into it, but we overcame those nerves,” he said. “They got up in the fi rst inning, but we knew it wouldn’t be for long, and we kept rallying.” See Baseball, Page B10 GRANT UNION SOFTBALL Prospector softball Prospector girls fall to North team defeats Lost River Douglas in quarterfi nal round Raiders to advance Opposing Warriors only allowed 34 runs during regular season Grant Union/ Prairie City tops 16 seed 4-2 in second round By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle The Grant Union/Prai- rie City Prospector softball team ended a successful sea- son in the quarterfi nal round with a 5-0 loss to the North Douglas Warriors. The Prospectors, with fi ve seniors, made it an exciting season, entering the OSAA state championships as the No. 1-seeded team. North Douglas put a damper on Grant Union’s dreams of winning it all this season, with help from their pitcher Nicki Derrick, a junior. According to OSAA.org, Derrick threw three fi ve-in- ning perfect games this sea- son, and the Warriors have only allowed 34 runs in the regular season. Grant Union head coach Zach Williams said, although that record tops By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle The Eagle/Angel Carpenter North Douglas runner Nicki Derrick slides back to fi rst just before Prospector Marissa Smith can tag her out. In back are pitcher Macy Strong, left, and third baseman Tiler Voigt. the state, he still thought his team would have a chance at the plate. “Sometimes you just tip your cap to the other team and say good job,” he said. “They were ready, they bat- tled, they got a lead on us early and they just never gave up.” Warriors head coach Jesse Rice said he was “a lit- tle worried” when it started to rain in the bottom of the third inning. “She (Derrick) stayed focused and threw the ball hard,” Rice said. “We knew that Grant Union could hit the ball, so were really ner- vous about it. She went right at ‘em. She defi nitely threw the ball hard today.” Senior Macy Strong pitched seven innings for Grant Union, striking out two Warrior batters. While Grant Union was See Girls, Page B10 The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Grant Union/Prairie City Prospector right fi elder Kori Jo Girvin, a senior, makes the grab for an out in the game against North Douglas. The Grant Union/Prai- rie City Prospector soft- ball team, No. 1 in the state, kept their fans on the edge of their seats in their 4-2 victory over the Lost River Raiders of Klamath Falls in the May 22 second-round state playoff of the OSAA 2A State Championships in John Day. Both the Prospectors and the Raiders had a dry spell until the fourth inning. In the top of the fourth, Lost River had two outs. Then a Raider sent a base hit up the middle that center fi elder Baylee Combs threw to catcher Hailie Wright, who tagged Raider Maken- zie Girtman out at the plate. “That was a huge momen- tum shift,” said Grant Union head coach Zach Williams. Grant Union broke out with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Wright started things off with a double, followed by Madi McKrola’s single to send Wright home. Marissa Smith and Kori Jo Girvin hit singles, and Macy Strong hit a double. The bottom of the fi fth was a different story with Lost River center fi elder Rianna Forrester catching three fl y balls in a row for quick outs. Grant Union was able to keep Lost River off the scoreboard until the sixth inning, when a couple Pros- pector errors allowed the Raiders to get in the game with two runs. That would be as far as the visitors would go, as Grant Union kept a lid on Lost River in the fi nal inning. The Prospectors beat the Raiders 9-1 early in the sea- son, so the closer game came See Softball, Page B10