LAKEWOOD – After a two-hour lightning delay, what’s another inning for Haxtun’s quest for the Class 1A baseball title to remain alive. The Fightin’ Bulldogs trailed by a run before Mason Bornhoft drove home Grant Statz to even the score.
Bornhoft drove in Statz on an another single in the top of the 8th which proved to be the winning run as No. 6 Haxtun beat No. 2 Akron 2-1 to advance to the 1A title game. It’s the first state title game for Haxtun (22-2 overall) since 2006 when the Bulldogs fell to Limon 16-5 in the 2A final.
They have never won a state title in the history of the program.
The pitching duties were split as Kaiden Schelling and Jerron Turney each threw four innings. Turney struck out six hitters and got the win.
Anderson Filla threw all eight innings for the Rams (18-7) and got himself out of several jams to give his team a chance. With the go-ahead run on base in the top of the 7th, he struck out Michael Gerk to keep the game tied going into the bottom of the inning.
Pinch hitter Hunter Molt reached on an error to give the Rams a base runner, but pinch runner Merek Charney got caught stealing and the Bulldogs escaped the inning with no damage before winning the game in the 8th.
The start of the game was delayed 2.5 hours as a result of a thunderstorm that rolled through Lakewood. The 1A championship game, which was supposed to start at 3 p.m. on Thursday has been moved to 10 a.m. Friday.
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(4) Flatirons Academy 9, (1) Holly 5
Sometimes revenge is a dish best served two years later. A four-run eighth inning powered Flatirons Academy in the 1A baseball championship game as the Bison beat Holly 9-5.
It was the Wildcats winning in 2021 in the 1A state game and now the Bison have a chance to complete a championship run that two years ago stalled in the final game of the year.
Parker Wilson was the catalyst of the big 8th inning as he roped a bases-loaded triple to break the tie. The Bison added another run before Holly got out of the inning. The Wildcats were retired in order in the bottom of the inning, ending the game.
Previously named Cornerstone Christian, Flatirons Academy won the 1A title in 2019 and will look to claim its second baseball championship in five years.
