It was a challenging month for the 14U AAA Aurora King Jays in a busy summer stretch, where the Jays played 4 league games and participated in 2 tournaments. They started off July with a win against the North Toronto Athletics – the Jays gave up a lead halfway through the game but didn’t let up and came out on top 12-7. The team was then met with tough pitching, only finding one hit against the East York Bulldogs, getting shutout 5-0.

The Jays fought hard at the Whitby Tournament, in 3 very close battles but would only manage a tie and two losses. They opened the tournament against the Bradford Tigers, where the Jays got the lead but would give it up immediately and fall 3-1. In the second game against the Whitby Canadians, the Jays made a run in the late innings but Whitby pushed back to end the game in a tie. It was a back-and-forth contest with the Riverside Royals from Windsor, which came down to the final out – a wild pitch that decided it, allowing the Royals to walk it off 6-5.

The next tournament was a trip to the States for the Wood Bat World Series in Pittsburgh, PA, a 4 day competition. The first two days were a significant challenge for the Jays, as they couldn’t quite find their stride, dropping 3 straight games to Smash It Sports 8-0, Pittsburgh Spikes 15-3, and Hardcore Elite Baseball 10-3. Despite the rocky start, the Jays showed their fighting spirit again, regrouping and picking up back-to-back wins in their decisive Saturday games. First, jumping out with 3 runs of early support for Parker Hewson’s complete game shutout, allowing only 4 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 4 batters. Then, a strong comeback effort after falling behind early against the Boys of Summer, winning 9-4. Unfortunately, their momentum ended against another incredible pitcher, as the Jays’ tournament wrapped up on the final day in the Consolation semifinals, falling to Team Boston Rams 6-2.

After an essential summer break, the Jays came back reenergized and right back into winning form as they battled back against league opposition in a couple of nail-biting one run victories. They achieved a disciplined performance against the Caledon Nationals, even though they committed 3 errors, the Jays held the Nationals to only 3 runs. Starting pitcher Cameron Parker, after going 4 innings, helped the Jays grab the lead in a 4 run inning. That set up Colton Lewis to close out the game with a clean save from a one-hit outing, while recording 3 strikeouts to secure a 4-3 win. A meeting with the Vaughan Vikings for the final game of the month was an explosive affair as the bats came alive for both teams. The Jays drove in 7 runs in each of the first two innings, taking a commanding 14 run lead. The Vikings tried to claw back but fell short 14-13, as the Jays early onslaught proved to be too much. Overall, with these wins to finish the month, the Jays recorded 3 more wins and 1 loss from league play in July.

The team’s resilient effort puts them in 3rd place in the league standings with a 9-5 regular season record, as the Jays are in terrific position for their final run to the playoffs!

For more information, scores, recaps and highlights on the 14U AAA AK Jays, please follow on Instagram @aurorakingjays09.

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