Algonquin Aces 14U - 1st Place Champions, 14U DuPage Ultimate Softball Tournament, September 26-27 

Hoping to build upon their 2nd place finish in the Aces Fall Fling Tournament two weeks earlier, the Aces entered action Saturday in the DuPage Ultimate Softball Tournament (DUST) ready to battle a very strong field of 11 other teams.  Drawing the Mount Prospect Power in their first pool game, the Aces quickly found themselves down 1-0 before scoring once in the second and again in the third inning.  Their slim 2-1 lead would hold up, however, in the time shortened 5 inning game.    For their second contest of the day, the Aces faced the White Sox Academy.  A sloppy start found the Aces down 5-1 after one inning.  Although they regrouped and played better, WSA was able to push across single runs in the second and fourth innings before time halted any Aces comeback bid. 

Sunday would prove to be a beautiful day in many ways as the Aces returned to sunny Carol Stream to move into bracket play.  The re-configured game schedule found the Aces facing the Comets of St. Charles.  Although spotting the Comets two runs in the top of the first, the Aces wasted little time regaining the offensive form they had been searching for this fall.  Propelled by a couple of big blasts that seemed destined for orbit, the Aces plated six in the first followed by four in each of the second and third innings, earning them a three inning victory 14-2.    Moving on to the semi-finals, the Aces found themselves squarely in the sights of a strong Wasco Diamonds 95 team.  Undeterred, the Aces executed well to score one run in each of the first three innings.   The Diamonds answered in the first with a run of their own but the Aces pitching and defense stymied them until the bottom of the fifth when they were able to cut their deficit to one.  Time expired just prior to the third out of the fifth inning, preventing the Diamonds from mounting a further comeback and putting the Aces into the championship game against the younger but equally formidable Wasco Diamonds 96 team. 

Under an early threat of rain, the Aces wasted little time, once again hauling out the long ball in the first inning to mount a 2-0 lead.  Weaving together some big hits and small ball execution to add another run in the second and again in the third, the Aces found themselves up 4-0 before the Diamonds added their first tally in the fourth inning.  The game would go on to feature great pitching, excellent defense and a spectacular catch which sparked a double play, allowing the Aces to confidently take a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh.  A late Diamonds rally in the bottom of the inning began with a convincing home run.  Still up 4-2 with two outs but a runner in scoring position, the Aces sealed their championship with a pop out on the infield, allowing all fans in attendance to exhale and begin celebrating.

A truly great, whole team effort and well deserved championship, girls! 

Algonquin Aces 14U - 2nd Place, 14U Algonquin Aces Fall Fling Tournament, September 11-13 

Congratulations to the 2010 14U team:

Katie B., Courtney C., Kelsey C., Madison D., Amanda E., Megan E., Jacquelyn H., Danielle O., Payton S., Angela T., Mikayla T., Lizzy W. 

GOLD SPONSORS
Algonquin Preschool, Inc.	Where children come first
Bath Consultants, Inc.	Residential and commercial bathroom remodeling and renovation
Buffalo Wild Wings - Algonquin	Grill & Bar
JCK Contractors, Inc.	Top soil and snow plowing
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Caufield & Flood	Certified public accountants
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Lee's Carpet and Floor Care	Voted best in the Fox Valley
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Moonwalks by Jumping Jack Splash	Inflatable moonwalk and waterslide rental
Murphy & Dickey, Inc.	Application solutions for instrumentation, chem feed systems, and fire & gas detection
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The Barker Family
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The Algonquin Aces are the travel softball affiliate of the Algonquin Area Youth Organization (AAYO).  This website is owned and maintained independently of AAYO, expressly for the private use of Aces team members and families.   AAYO is not responsible for the content herein.  For information about AAYO and the youth softball and baseball programs it offers, please visit WWW.AAYO.NET