Six losses in their past seven games have hampered the Langley Junior Blaze’s run for top spot in the BC Junior Premier Baseball League.
Prior to this slump, the 16U baseball team had won 15 consecutive games.
The Blaze sit at 27-10 with three games to play, 2.5 games behind first place Abbotsford (30-8) as the regular season winds down this week.
And Langley was in prime position to overtake the Junior Cardinals for top spot heading into the weekend as the teams met three times.
But Abbotsford won 3-2 on Friday night in Langley and the teams split a doubleheader on Saturday in Abbotsford — the Cardinals took game one 1-0 before Langley bounced back with a 10-4 win.
Any momentum from that victory was short-lived however, as the Blaze dropped a doubleheader on Sunday to the White Rock Junior Tritons, falling 4-3 and 6-3.
Cardinals 3 Blaze 2
Abbotsford struck for three runs in the third inning with Langley clawing back with one run in both the sixth and seventh innings.
After Michel Saulter delivered an RBI single in the final inning, the Blaze still had the bases loaded with two outs but could not score the tying run.
Terrell Rogers took the loss.
Cardinals 1 Blaze 0
Colby Ring suffered his first loss of the season, falling to 8-1, in the 1-0 defeat as the teams combined for just eight hits.
The game’s only run came in the sixth inning.
Blaze 10 Cardinals 4
The Blaze offence awoke, posting double digits runs in the 10-4 victory.
Mack Berry led the way with a two-run double while Ring had an RBI triple and Trevor Alcos had an RBI double.
Daniel Martin, Jayden Knight, Saulter and Rogers also had an RBI as well.
Alcos also earned the win on the mound, scattering four runs on eight hits over 4.1 innings.
Kyle Pfeifer and Brett Jackson combined to pitch the 2.2 innings, allowing just a combined one hit.
Tritons 4 Blaze 3
Langley led 3-0 through the first five and a half innings but the Tritons scored three times in the bottom of the sixth and then won the game in extra innings in the bottom of the eight.
The Blaze committed six errors and had just one hit in the ball game.
Saulter had the lone RBI while Alcos scored two of the runs.
Justin Lanigan was tagged with the loss after allowing the winning run.
Tritons 6 Blaze 3
Langley fell behind 6-0 before scoring three times in the seventh inning. They also had two runners on board with two outs and brought the tying run to the plate, but could not cap off the comeback, falling 6-3.
Brendan Winning had an RBI double while Saulter and Brayden Cameron had an RBI apiece in the loss.
Berry took the loss, surrendering six runs in five innings of work.
Langley closes the regular season with three games against the Coquitlam Redlegs.
The teams meet at Coquitlam’s Mundy Park on July 19 before playing a doubleheader at McLeod Park on July 21. Game times are 5 and 7:30 p.m.
