Bulldogs make final four following wins over Wiley and Simla

The Haxtun Bulldogs made the final four. Haxtun took down Wiley and Simla in the Regional round of 1A baseball playoffs on Saturday to advance to final four action slated for this Thursday at All Star Park in Lakewood.

Saturday's games were originally supposed to be play in Simla, the third seated team in Colorado High Schools Activity Association playoff bracket, but early spring rains forced organizers to move matchups to The Classical Academy in nearby Colorado Springs.

The Bulldogs, who entered the bracket as the sixth seeded team, first faced off with number 11th seeded Wiley. It was a battle of the pitchers and the defense backing them up through most of the game.

In the top of the sixth, Wiley put the first run of the game on the board to go up 1-0. Haxtun answered back in the bottom of the sixth with two runs thanks to a triple from Keegan Colglazier and a bunt and run by Michael Gerk. Three outs in the top of the seventh sealed the one-run win for the Bulldogs to send Haxtun to the final round of Regional action later in the day.

Junior Mason Bornhoft batted 1.000 against Wiley. Senior Kyle Fryrear went .500 at home plate while Colglazier earned a.333 average. Colglazier and Gerk each earned one run batted in. Fryrear registered one stolen base in game one of the day.

Senior Jerron Turney earned the win on the mound. He struck out three of nine batters, walking just one. Junior Kaiden Schelling started the game on the mound. He struck out six of 21 batters.

In a rematch of semifinal football action this fall, Haxtun took on Simla in the Regional baseball championship late Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs came out on fire, seeking revenge for the end of their football season shy of a state football title and hammered down on the Cubs.

The Bulldogs racked up five runs in the second inning and four in the third to go up 9-0 early in the contest. A final run in the top of the fifth gave Haxtun a 10-0 advantage to end the game in five innings.

Sophomore Ryland Wolff and Gerk earned a .667 batting average in game two while Schelling went .500 at home plate. Bornhoft batted .333 and led his team with a total of five RBIs against Simla. Schelling and Wolff each had two RBIs. Bornhoft also had one stolen base.

Turney took his second win of the day from the pitcher's mound. He sat down four of 15 batters throughout the five inning contest.

Two wins on Saturday advances the Bulldogs to final four action this Thursday at McGregor Field at All-Star Park in Lakewood. Haxtun is set to face off with the fellow Lower Platte League opponent Akron. In their road to the final four, the Rams beat Elbert 4-0 and Stratton 8-5.

The meeting of the Bulldogs and the Rams will be the fourth of the 2023 season. Haxtun swept Akron in late March but the Rams came out on top in the most recent meeting in the District Championship match.

The winner of the 12:30 p.m. matchup between Haxtun and Akron advances to the 1A Championship slated for the same day at 3 p.m. against the winner of a 10 a.m. contest with Holly and Flatirons Academy. Holly entered the post-season bracket as number one while Flatirons Academy came in as number four.