Under sunny skies, the GHSBL returned to the field for its 18^th season. The returning champion Cobras got their title defense off to a good start by taking two from Mayhem. The new kids on the block got off to an early 4-3 lead in game 1, but the Cobras rallied back to win the game 8-6. In the second game, Mike L. threw a shutout as the Cobras cruised to a 9-0 victory. The offensive leaders for the Cobras were Santo, Omar, Jimmy and Ian. In the other AM doubleheader, the Bushwackers and Assault split their pair. In game 1, Assault held on for a 9-7 victory, but in game 2, the Bushwackers exploded for 16 runs enroot to a mercy victory. Chris C. led the Bushwackers with 3 HRs and 10 RBIs, while Steve and Brian H. turned in defensive gems. In the afternoon, Smoke started the season on fire by burning the Sabercats in both ends of their twin bill. Game 1 featured an early pitcher’s duel between Smoke’s Joe B. and the Cats’ Kavin, but ended up 8-4. The tide started to tilt towards Smoke in the middle innings after Leo belted a home run in the third and Juan followed with one in the fourth. In addition to earning a victory in the game, Joe B. also knocked in two runs. In the finale, Smoke broke out of the gates with 10 runs in the first inning. Dave K. kept the Cats of the board for three innings before calling it a day, but earned the win as Smoke cruised to a 17-5 mercy. Juan and Leo added their second homers of the day in the nightcap, while Sam wound up hitting for the cycle over both games. The doubleheader between the Borrachos and Arsenal featured two old fashion pitcher’s duels. The first showdown pitted Andy of Arsenal versus the Borrachos’ Jimmy L. The two GHSBL veterans held the opposition’s hitters at bay for most of the game, but Arsenal came up big in the clutch to earn the 2-1 victory. In the second game, John A. and Joey went pitch for pitch and once again Arsenal wound up one run better, this time winning 3-2. The game was highlighted by Arsenal’s ability to escape from a bases load, no out jam thanks to two putouts at the plate recorded by Josh, the team’s catcher and manager.

Sunny skies prevailed over a gloomy forecast in week 4 of the GHSBL schedule. Smoke started off their match up with the Cobras by scoring 5 early runs, but found themselves down 7-5 heading into the fifth. In the top of the frame, Smoke caught fire by scoring 8 runs and secured a 13-7 lead. The deficit remained six runs heading into the bottom of the 7^th, but the Cobras began to chip away. Kevin F. belted a three run homer to cut the deficit in half and the rest of the lineup kept the ball rolling. Alan capped off the come from behind rally with a base hit that plated the winning run as the Cobras prevailed 14-13. In game 2, Mike L. quieted the Smoke bats, allowing the Cobras to take control of the game and cruise to a 12-3 victory. Santo and Ian paced the Cobras offense with 5 RBIs between them. The second morning match up of the day featured another impressive come from behind win. After yielding 5 first inning runs to the Assault, the Borrachos rallied to take a 6-5 lead thanks to a two run blast by John F. Assault answered back in the seventh and tied the game on a two out hit by Javon. A great catch by Joe D., however, limited the damage and the Borrachos responded by scoring the winning run on a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the inning, giving Jimmy L. his first win on the season. In game 2, Joe D. dominated the opposition with 8 strikeouts enroot to a 6-3 victory. Gary L. belted a home run to pace the offense and ended the day 6-7 with 3 runs scored and 4 RBIs. In the afternoon, the Bushwackers exploded for 12 runs in their opening contest against Mayhem thanks to big hitting from Brick (3-3, HR and 3 RBI) and Jeff C. (2-3, HR and 5 RBI). Ballzz earned the victory by pitching a 12-0 shutout. Game 2 was a hotly contested affair that featured fine defense by Herk and Steve, which helped the Bushwackers hold on for a 5-3 victory. In the final contest, Arsenal took two games from the Sabercats by scores of 13-3 and 12-3. Arsenal was led by a balanced offense and the fine pitching of Rick and John.

Borrachos and Mayhem split their doubleheader. In game 1, Jimmy Lawlor pitched four shutout innings for his second win of the season and the Borrachos offense was powered by back-to-back 2-run doubles by John Foley and Tony Son in an 11-0 five inning win. In game 2, Eric pitched 10 consecutive scoreless innings to help Mayhem win 4-3 in 12 innings.  Jason knocked in the game-winning RBI, making Joe De Rosa a hard luck loser.  The Cobras swept a pair of games from Arsenal. The Cobras jumped out to an early 7-2 lead in the opener, but a big 3-run homer by Desmond helped Arsenal narrow the gap. A 7^th inning homer by Yersin inched Asrenal even further, but Carmelo slammed the door on the Cobras’ 7-6 victory. In game 2, the Cobras again jumped out to an early 4-0 lead thanks to the hot bats of Herman and Omar, but Arsenal once again slowly chipped away. Desmond added his second blast of the day to make the score 4-3 in the top of the sixth, but the Cobras added an insurance run in the bottom of the frame on an RBI hit by Santo. The extra run was more than enough for Joey, who pitched a gem enroot to the 5-3 victory. The Bushwackers also had their brooms working against the Sabercats, taking a pair by scores of 10-2 and 11-0. The Bushwackers were led by the strong pitching of 'O' and a well rounded offense headed by Steve and Chris. In the only afternoon affair, Assault won two games over Smoke. In game 1, Smoke quickly captured an early 5-0 lead, but Assault rallied with 3-runs in the 5th and 7th innings to squeak by 6-5. The Assault comeback was capped by a game winning 2-out, 2-run single by Javon. In game 2, Al Blyer earned his first GHSBL win in a 15-0 mercy as 6 different Assault players drove in at least one run.

The Cobras and Assault engaged in two hotly contested showdowns. The first game was a seesaw battle as the Cobras surrendered an early 5-0 lead only to jump back on top 11-8. Down by three to start the last of the seventh, Javon sparked a four run rally with a key leadoff hit. Chun capped off the rally with a walk off hit that gave Assault a 13-12 victory. In game 2, Assault staked John R. to an early 5-0 lead, but the Cobras battled back with four late runs. The comeback fell just short, however, as the winning runs were left stranded on base in the final frame. The Bushwackers and Arsenal also played two spirited contests.  In game 1, Josh went 3 for 3 with 3 RBIs, as the Bushwackers rallied late in support of Woody, who earned the 6-2 victory with another strong outing. In game 2, Woody earned his second victory of the day as Brick went 3 for 3 with 2 RBIs enroot to a 7-4 Bushwacker triumph. In the afternoon, the Borrachos swept a pair from Smoke. Homeruns by Young Lee and John Foley highlighted the Borrachos 7-3 opening win as Jim Lawlor won his third consecutive game by pitching seven strong innings. In the nightcap, Joe De Rosa pitched a shut out and added a homerun to help his own cause as the Borrachos blanked Smoke 9-0. In the final match up of the week, Sabercats and Mayhem played two low scoring affairs. Game 1 was decided in extra innings when Mayhem pushed ahead a run in the ninth to earn a 3-2 victory. In game 2, it was the Sabercats turn for late inning heroics. With the scored tied 1-1 in the seventh, an infield hit by Eric produced the winning run as Jon took advantage of a defensive lapse to give the ‘cats a 2-1 victory. Kavin was the iron man on the day, turning in 16 superb innings that saw only 4 opposing batters cross the plate.

Under a sweltering summer sun, Assault stayed hot by sweeping the Bushwackers to gain a share of first place. Al Blyer pitched a 4-0 shutout in the opener for his second straight win. The offense was led by Pete White, who went 2-3 with a run scored. In game 2, Pete once again went 2-3, this time in support of John Rosenmiller, who recorded a 4-1 victory to improve his record to 4-1. Across the complex on field #1, the Cobras and Mayhem split a pair. In game 1, the Cobras jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but Mayhem scored 7 runs in the fifth inning to blow the game open and earn a 9-3 victory. Cesar turned in a strong outing to earn the win, while John H. chipped in with two outfield assists and Luis led the offense by going 4-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs. In the nightcap, the Cobras exploded for 12 runs, thanks to 7 RBIs from the combination of Santo and Cliff. Mike Levine threw five shutout innings to earn the victory. In the afternoon matchup between the Borrachos and Arsenal, pitchers dominated the day. In the first contest, Jimmy Lawlor and Rick Crane engaged in a classic pitchers’ duel. The Borrachos eventually scratched out two runs thanks to hits by Rob Cabrera and Jimmy L., who also earned the victory by pitching a stellar one hit shutout. In the finale, Rick and Joe La Rosa picked up where the opener left off. Joe L. wound up getting the best of the confrontation by striking out five enroot to a 3-0, 2-hit shutout. Once again, Jimmy L. chipped in with a run scoring hit to pace the offense. In the final doubleheader, Smoke swept a pair from the Sabercats by scores of 16-1 and 10-7.

The Cobras swept a pair from the Sabercats to take over sole possession of first place. Joey Attard and Mike Levine both pitched strong games, while Will Juliano (6 hits, 6 runs), Ian Beaton (5 hits, 4 runs), Rob Miller (HR, 4 hits, 3 runs and RBIs) and Derm Clifford (3 hits, 5 RBIs) paced the offensive. Mayhem also took both ends of their twin bill against Assault. In game 1, Eric pitched seven innings of one-run ball backed up by solid defense. In game 2, Rafael and Jason each rapped out three hits and a pair of RBIs to lead Mayhem to an 11-7 victory. The Bushwackers and Borrachos kept their brooms in the closet and instead split a pair of lopsided contests. In game 1, the Bushwackers exploded for 11 runs and coasted to an 11-1 victory. In the nightcap, Joe La Rosa doubled twice, drove in three runs and scored three times, all while pitching the Borrachos to a 14-3 victory. The offensive was supplemented by Sonny Oh, who chipped in with three runs and three RBIs, and Anthony Molinari, who added two RBIs. The afternoon contest was played under a scorching sun, but Arsenal stayed cool by taking two from Smoke. In the opener, Rick Crane turned in a spectacular performance, shutting out Smoke to give Arsenal a 5-0 victory. In the night cap, both teams took turns with the lead, but a pair of two run rallies in both halves of the seventh inning sent the game into extra innings tied at four. In the top of the eighth, John Angelo broke the tie with a two run single and then Rick came into to slam the door and save the victory for Andy O’Campo, who also banged out 4 hits and 2 RBIs on the afternoon.

The brooms were out early in Week 12 as both morning double headers ended up in sweeps. Game one between Arsenal and Mayhem was a thrilling extra inning affair. The two teams battled back and forth until Josh Feliciano knocked in the deciding run with a bases loaded single that gave Arsenal a 4-3 victory. In the nightcap, Arsenal cruised to an 8-2 victory to earn the sweep. In game one of their match up, Smoke and Bushwackers engaged in a pitcher’s duel between Richie and Joe Bove. The Bushwackers jumped on the scoreboard early, scoring four runs, but Smoke battled back to trim the deficit to 4-3. Smoke eventually put the winning run on base in the final frame, but couldn’t complete the comeback. In the second game, both teams traded runs in the early going, but the Bushwackers blew the game open in the fourth with an 8 run explosion. Jeff Coplan earned the save in relief of Richie, who in addition to picking up two wins, also went 5 for 6 on the day. John B. also starred on offense for the Bushwackers, going 6 for 8 with a walk. In the afternoon, splits were the theme. Borrachos and Cobras engaged in two nail biting affairs that featured strong pitching. In the opener, the Borrachos jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, but the Cobras battled back to tie in spite of recording only one base hit. The game remained tied at 4-4 until the eleventh inning, when the Borrachos plated the winning run on an errant throw. Joe La Rosa earned the victory and Mike Levine was the hard luck loser in a game that featured numerous highlight reel defensive plays. In the night cap, the Cobras scored an early run on a base hit by Omar Cedeno, and Joey Attard made the tally stand up en route to 1-0 shutout. Jimmy Lawlor was also masterful in spite of suffering the loss. Sabercats and Assault also engaged in two exciting ball games. In the opener, Assault took a 6-4 lead into the top of the seventh inning. Curtis belted a home run to begin the Sabercats comeback, which culminated in victory when a hard smash off the bat of Chris Lee led to an errant throw that scored two runs. In the second game, extra innings were needed before Assault scored three runs in the eighth to earn a split with a 9-6 victory.

The race for the GHSBL division championship got a lot tighter in week 13, as three teams were locked in a first place tie by day’s end. The Bushwackers gained their share of the top by sweeping two games from Arsenal. In game 1, Jeff Coplan knocked in three runs and Richie drove home two to help his own cause on the mound as the Bushwackers won the opener 6-3. In game 2, both teams took turns with the lead. Arsenal held a 7-4 advantage in the sixth, but the Bushwackers stormed back to take an 8-7 lead on a pair of homers by Rick and Chris Bauer. Arsenal responded immediately in their half of the seventh and sent the game into extra innings tied at 8-8. Jeff broke the deadlock in the bottom of the ninth with a walk off homerun to give the Bushwackers a dramatic 9-8 victory. In the other AM twin bill, Assault and Cobras split a pair. Game 1 was a pitcher’s duel between Rob Miller and Dennis. The game remained scoreless for five innings, but the Cobras finally broke out on top as Will singled home the first run of the game and Omar capped the three run rally with another run scoring hit. Assault also got on the board in the sixth, but Rob quickly shut the door en root to a 4-1 victory. In the second game, Assault took an early 7-3 lead, but the Cobras once again rallied in the sixth inning, this time plating 6 highlighted by a bases loaded triple by Armando Lugo. With two outs and no one on in the top of the seventh, Assault showed heart by mounting a three run uprising and then holding off another Cobra comeback attempt on their way to an 11-10 victory. Javon picked up a key walk to start the Assault rally and Carlisle knocked in the go ahead run with a single. In the afternoon, Mayhem swept a pair from the Sabercats in impressive fashion. In total, Mayhem scored over 30 runs in the twin bill. The Borrachos also picked up two victories in two hotly contested games against Smoke. In game 1, Jim Lawlor pitched 9 shutout innings while Tony Son walked in the winning run in a nail biting 1-0 victory. In the finale, the Borrachos called on a few battle scarred veterans to earn the sweep. Drew Hester turned two double plays, including an assist at home plate. Meanwhile, Jim Johnson mesmerized the Smoke bats, while Anthony Molinari's two triples drove in five runs in the 7-3 victory.

The GHSBL regular season culminated in one of the closest division races in the league’s history as four teams entered the weekend within striking distance of first place. Early in the day, the Cobras and Borrachos faced off in a crucial game to determine the tiebreaker between them. Joe La Rosa took the mound for the Borrachos and turned in another gem, recording his fourth shutout of the season. Joe also went 2-3 to help his own cause as the Borrachos cruised to a 4-0 win. Also chipping in on offense were Rob Cabrera (2-2, run scored), John Foley (3-3), Tony Son (2-3, RBI) and Jim Johnson (1-2, RBI). As a result of their victory, the Borrachos then faced off against Assault with at least a share of first place on the line. The tables were turned, however, as this time it was the Borrachos who were shutout. Assault jumped out to an early lead in the game and Dennis pitched strongly throughout. The 7-0 victory was Assault’s second on the day, having earlier beaten the Sabercats, and secured a third place seed by virtue of the Cobras’ 5-3 loss to Smoke. With the morning aftermath cleared, all that stood between the Bushwackers and the division title was one victory. Mayhem, coming off an earlier 10-6 win over Arsenal, battled the Bushwackers for 7 innings, but came up short by an 8-6 final. The win gave the Bushwackers the division title, but didn’t mean an end to their day on the field. Smoke finished off an impressive day by winning their second game, this time besting the Bushwackers 5-4 behind the strong pitching of Joe Bove. The only other match up of the day featured Arsenal and the Sabercats. Needing a victory to lock up the fifth seed, Arsenal scored early and often enroot to a 15-2 victory. Tony Porochnia led the Arsenal offense by going 5-7 with a home run and 4 RBIs, while team MVP Alan Avidar continued his hot hitting by knocking in three runs.

Assault was the first team to advance to the semifinals by virtue of a two game sweep over Mayhem. In game 1, Assault took an early 4-1 lead, but Mayhem rallied to tie the game in the fourth inning. In the bottom of the fifth, Assault regained their advantage thanks to a four run rally capped off by a three run homer by Theron Grant. Chun scored two runs and Manny drove in two in support of Al, who gained his first post season victory. In game two, John Rosenmiller earned the victory with a strong outing, while Pete Jakab and Shane led the offense to a 9-1 win. The Borrachos also advanced to the semifinals, but not without a challenge from Smoke. After splitting two close games, the Borrachos cruised to an 8-3 win in the finale and earned the team’s first playoff series victory. Jimmy Lawlor gave up 2 earned runs over 14 innings to notch both wins, while Sonny Oh (5-7 with 3 RBIs), Rob Cabrera (5 RBIs) and Young Lee (3-5 with 3 runs scored) powered the offense. The final series of the day between the Cobras and Arsenal was played amid a cloud of controversy. Arsenal’s first game victory, which was later nullified due to the use of an ineligible player, placed the Cobras against the wall, but the defending champs responded by winning the second game 11-2. In the third and deciding game, Arsenal scored four runs, including a three run homer by Brian Kash, in the 5^th inning to take a 4-2 lead, but the Cobras answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the game. Shawn Lawson’s RBI single in the bottom of the seventh broke the deadlock and gave the Cobras a 5-4 victory and a ticket to the semifinals. Mike Levine earned both victories for the Cobras, yielding only 6 runs in 14 innings, while Shawn (4 hits and 3 RBIs) and Will Juliano (6 hits and 6 runs) led the Cobra attack.

The Bushwackers won their first league championship by besting Assault, 2 games to one. In game one, the Bushwackers jumped out early and often and held on for a 10-6 victory. In game two, Assault rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to tie the game in the third inning, and then, trailing 4-3 in the fifth, rallied again to win 5-4. In the rubber match up, Woody Held and John Rosenmiller pitched brilliantly, as both teams failed to score in regulation. With the score tied 0-0 in the last of the 8th, the Bushwackers loaded the bases before Brick knocked in the championship winner with a base hit.