>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

GRESHAM — What could have been?

That’s the question the Mountaineers’ men’s track and field team is left to ponder after injuries plagued the team at the Cascade Conference Championships that concluded Saturday.

The men finished second, while Concordia finished first.

Three EOU sprinters ran with pain during the three-day event.

BRUUUCE: Enterprise golfer Heather Bruce shot a 1-over-par on the back nine Tuesday at the 4A/3A/2A/1A state golf meet. Bruce placed ninth among all golfers. - Observer photos/PAUL HARDER

Enterprise’s Heather Bruce bounced back from two bad holes Monday to place in the top-10 at the 4A/3A/2A/1A Girls State Golf  Tournament.

“I relaxed a little bit,” Bruce said. “It helped that I have been here before. I wanted to come home with a flag.”

HULL OF A SWING: Enterprise junior Dakota Hull placed second among all area golfers, and placed sixth among all 3A/2A/1A golfers. - Observer photos/PAUL HARDER

One day the Enterprise boys golf team will look back with fond memories of a second place finish at the state tournament. For now, it’s thinking about what might have been.

The 6,479-yard course took its toll on the field Tuesday.

“This is a championship course,” Enterprise head coach Mike Crawford said. “There are no flat putts, and the pin placements didn’t help lower the numbers.”

AND THE PITCH ... Ducks right-hander Mike Loverro delivers a pitch to Vikings batter Spencer Roland (23) Saturday. Observer photos/PAUL HARDER

Maybe that’s why the University of Oregon Club Baseball team dropped its game Friday.

That meant two extra games to clinch the NorPac championship and punch a ticket to the Club Baseball World Series.

FLYING EAGLE: Joseph’s Kenny Lathrop wheels around the track in the 4 x 400-meter relay, helping his team place second. Lathrop won the 800-meter race earlier in the day. The Observer/BRUCE MASON

All this pain, all this agony, all this gut-busting work — beginning on that first chilly day of practice — was geared toward this Old Oregon League District track meet Saturday at Baker High.

And now, 20 local athletes are reaping the benefits for such dedication, earning a trip to Western Oregon University Friday (11 a.m.) for the OSAA state meet, hoping to be crowned individual kings and queens of Oregon.

THE CLINCHER: Travis Ludwig (right) greets Huskies at home plate after belting a two-run homer. - Observer photo/BRUCE MASON

Paint it purple.

Elgin defeated visiting Union, 10-6 Friday, behind toughness, hustle, big bats and unearned runs, heading into the OSAA tournament with a No. 1 seed.

ELGIN — Union coach Greg Poor was faced with a dilemma: Who starts in the district title game, who follows if another game has to be played?

As a result, Poor kept No.1 starter Austin Woodward off the mound in the title game versus Elgin, saving him for the second game.

And Poor’s plan worked.

BOARDMAN — The Outlaws rode into Boardman and walked out with a district title.

Enterprise beat out Stanfield for the Class 1A District 4 Track and Field Championship Friday.

While there weren’t a lot of first-place finishes, the Outlaws secured a number of high finishes.