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By Candie Fix
Managing Editor 

District runner-up finish gives Haxtun Bulldogs Regional tourney berth

 

(Herald photos by Candie Fix)

HAXTUN'S Dylan Buccelli snags a ball behind home plate during the District Tournament last week at Northeastern Junior College. The Bulldogs took second, advancing to Regionals.

On to Regionals! After a championship appearance and a second place finish at Districts last week, the Haxtun baseball team is headed to the Region 1 Tournament this Saturday in Johnstown. The Bulldogs enter Regionals as the ninth seeded team and are slated to pair up with eighth seeded Dove Creek.

The road to Regionals all started at Northeastern Junior College last week as the Haxtun Bulldogs first faced Prairie in round one of the District Tournament. The two teams had just seen each other to round out the regular season and for the second time in a row, the Bulldogs came out on top, this time 17-0.

The win over Prairie advanced the Bulldogs to the second day of play where they would see the Buffs from Caliche, also a team they defeated during the regular season. In the same fashion, Haxtun took a second win over the Buffs, this time when it really counted. A 13-4 win gave the Bulldogs a spot in the Championship match up, pitting the team against the Merino Rams. Merino entered the District bracket as the number-one seed.

The Championship match was close for the first three innings, but stellar pitching from the Rams gave them an advantage to go on to claim the District championship title, 8-1, over the Bulldogs. The second place finish will still allow one more week of play for the Bulldogs though as the team will head to Regionals this Saturday, June 19 at Nelson Farm Park in Johnstown.

Isaac Andersen

Haxtun is set to take on Dove Creek at 10 a.m. to kick off Region 1 action. According to Maxpreps, Dove Creek is currently 9-6 overall. The team, also the Bulldogs, took a win over Sanford in Districts but suffered a loss to Nucla in the championship of their respective District.

The winner of the Haxtun/Dove Creek game will go onto face Flatirons Academy later that afternoon at 12:30 p.m. Flatirons Academy enters Regionals as the number one team with a 10-2 record. The Buffaloes recently defeated Gilpin County and Dayspring Christian Academy on their road to Regionals.

Regional winners will advance to the final four and the State championship, all scheduled for Wednesday, June 23 at University High School in Greeley.

 

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