Akron baseball shows toughness, rallies to win 1A baseball championship

LAKEWOOD – The Akron baseball team travel 103 miles to compete for the Class 1A baseball championship for the second year in a row.

Jakzon Livesay hobbling 180 feet with a torn meniscus for a game-tying double with two outs in the bottom of the 6th inning was easy. The Rams junior ripped a line drive to right-center and gritted through the pain to get into second base safely, driving in two runs in the process.

Courtesy runner Jace Curtis then scored on Alex Bowin single to give Akron an 8-7 win and its first baseball state championship in school history.

Aside from a noticeable limp, Livesay showed no signs of being hampered with an injury that occurred midway through the season. The fear is a torn meniscus. The bigger was not being able to help his team reach a moment of bliss that evaded it a year ago.

“It’s all about this right here,” Livesay said. “This is what I wanted. This has been my dream since I was four years old. I was going to tough it out.”

After a big rally put the Bison up 5-0 after the top of the first, the toughness that Livesay was showing had to serve as the inspiration for the entire team.

The Rams (21-4 overall) had made it to Keli McGregor Field at All-Star Park a year ago, and even had the lead in the 1A championship game against Merino. But it was the Maroon Rams, not the blue ones, leaving Lakewood with state title hardware. Akron beat Simla 14-4 in the first semifinal game of the day and then watched as the Bison (17-6) spoiled a chance at a rematch.

But vengeance was not the priority on this sunny, gusty afternoon. It was always about redemption. Even when Akron was trailing 5-0, belief never wavered.

“We had to keep fighting,” coach Tyler Pickens said. “Baseball is a long game. Look at what can happen. Anything can happen.”

Livesay started the process of bringing the Rams back with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 1st. They added two more to make it a 5-3 game.

Jax Kusel made it 5-4 on an RBI single that brought in Kolten Randel.

An error and a walk in the top of the 6th led to two runs getting tacked on for the Bison. Parker Wilson and Braxton Kelley hit back-to-back RBI singles to push the lead to 7-4.

Like 2024, the Rams were trailing late but knew they had the guys and the heart to battle.

“We used [last year] as a learning opportunity,” Bowin said. “That extra one percent that we could’ve used last year, we put it in this year to make sure it wasn’t going to happen again.”

And it was so close to slipping away.

Merek Charney led off the bottom of the 6th by reaching on a throwing error. Kusel hit a line drive right at Bison pitcher Parker Wilson, who snagged it with his glove and doubled up Charney before he could get back to first.

Tucker Stahn then hit a line drive up the middle of his own, but Wilson couldn’t snag that one. He eventually scored on a Caleb Poss single which also pushed Anderson Filla to third after he reached on a walk.

Livesay then drove into two runs on his double, putting the responsibility of taking the lead in the hands of Bowin.

“My coaches had prepared me for that moment,” Bowin said. “All of those rounds in the cages had prepared me for that moment so I’d feel no pressure. I can just go hit.”

And his hit secured the game for the Rams.

But the biggest play of the game was Livesay’s double. His willingness to push through pain for 180 feet is going make for a fun Akron bus ride for 103 miles.