The York Diamonds moved to 10-5 in MSBL play and 13-5 overall with a pair of wins over the Mississauga Jays last week.

On Thursday, ageless wonder Ken Dicken got the call and pitched well for 3 innings. Derek (D.K.) Kimmerly picked him up and struck out 7 over his 5 innings of work and allowed only one hit in notching his second win of the year in a 10-3 victory. Dicken turned in a defensive gem as he raced to cover first base and took a perfect throw from Bob Corn to nip a Jays' baserunner. Offensively eight different Diamonds drove in runs, and the hit parade was led by Steve Foley and Brent Sterling with 3 apiece and Rudy Naraine, Pete Zakkak and Owen McLaughlin with two each. McLaughlin doubled off the wall and then hit his first York home run to cap the scoring. Daniel Dodds had a pair of hits for the Jays and Jared Levinsky threw a complete game.

The following evening featured a pitchers duel between York ace Eric Foley and Jays' righthanders Elmer Benitez Jr. and Vince Novielli. Foley went the route, allowing only two hits and striking out 13, with a tidy 108 pitch effort. Benitez struck out 6 in his 5 innings of work and Novielli worked 4 shutout frames. All the York runs scored on two Steve Foley home runs. Paul Freeman and Eric Foley also had two hits. Pat McEnroe had a double and two walks for the Jays.

On Thursday, Eric Foley went five strong innings, striking out ten and allowing only three hits. Josh Barber and Chetan Gandhi each threw an inning in relief. Eric also went 3-3 with 3 RBI and Steve Foley also had 3 hits and 3 RBI. Manny Rodriguez and Owen McLaughlin each had 2 hits for the Diamonds, with McLaughlin driving in 4 runs. Dave Wiseman had his first base hit since the 1997 season. Chuck Simpson took the loss for the Expos.

In Sunday's first game, McLaughlin struggled with his command a bit but still twirled six innings of 2 run ball. He also added 3 hits, while Steve Foley had 3 hits, including home run #6. Brent Sterling and Paul Freeman had two hits apiece. Former Diamond Mike Rochon was charged with the loss bat battled hard to go the distance. Another fromer Diamond, Evan DePiero had 2 hits, as did Mike Holian and Jimmy Gonzalez.

Chris Micolinno, Fab Vazzano, and Rob Rivers each had two hits for the Cards, while Steve Foley and Eric Foley had three hits piece for the Diamonds, with Steve belting his fifth home run of the campaign.

Dennis Hucal, Fil Vazzano, and Ryan Wakelin each had two hits for the Cardinals. York was led by Steve Foley who had two long hits, including a home run. Rick Yez had his first hit of the season, a double blasted to left field, and John Raddi pitched 3 shutout frames and made a great play covering first base. Eric Foley and Owen McLaughlin also had two hits apiece.

Mike Holian and Dan Fiorita both threw great games and were let down by some poor defense at times. Fiorita went 8 innings and struck out a career high 8 batters. Holian went the route and deserved a better fate.

Rudy Naraine and Steve Foley both had 3 hits for the winners.

York scored first as a fly ball was misplayed in right field. The Expos countered with a run of their own on a Jimmy Gonzalez single, an error, and a long Chris Clark single that was misplayed in left field.

York scored again on an errant double play throw, and got another run on a Steve Foley double.

The Expos scored three in the eighth to take 4-3 lead as Evan DePiero, Jimmy Gonzalez, Darryl Spencer, and Matt Hermberger all singled. York got two in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead at 5-4 after Matt Krause's fly ball was dropped in left field.

Owen McLaughlin came on to pitch the top of the ninth and with two out, Rudy Naraine made an incredible stop on a hard hit ground ball, but his throw was high to first. It appeared Eric Foley tagged the runner as he went by, but he was ruled safe. However Foley reacted quickly and tagged out the runner who was ruled to have made an attempt to go toward second base. In the meantime the tying run was crossing the plate. After a consultation the umps let the play stand as called and it was 5-5.

In the bottom of the 9th, Owen McLaughlin lined out and Steve Foley hit a towering fly ball that was misplayed and went for a double off the bottom of the centre field fence. Eric Foley was hit by a picth, setting the stage for the heroics of Manny Rodriguez, who blooped s single to right ending the game. Owen McLaughlin got the win to move to 2-0.

The Expos turned three double plays and the Diamonds turned one. York made a few baserunning mistakes and mental errors that potentially took them out of some big innings.

To the Diamond Jacks credit, they were only using 6 of their own players and needed to save some of their pitching for a doubleheader against Oshawa tomorrow.

Eric Foley was masterful on the mound as he went 6 shutout innings, scattering 3 hits, and striking out 9 to bring his career total to 1022. Steve Foley picked up save #2 as he went the final 3 frames. Steve had a home run and 5 RBI's to pace the offense. Eric had 2 hits and an RBI to help his own cause. Ageless wonder Greg Shannon had 3 hits, while Dan Fiorita and Manny Rodriguez had 2 apiece. Pete Zakkak and Victor Miranda had their first hits of the season, with Miranda hitting a double to straightaway centrefield. Paul Freeman went 1-1 with a sacrifice bunt and 2 walks as well as a fine running catch in left field late in the game. Marty Patience and Ellison Chan reached base twice each for the Diamond Jacks.

A special thanks to Zak for having the field in fantastic shape and for being at the park all day to get it ready for the game.

Foley was aided in the win, by brother Steve who had 3 hits and Matt Krause who had 3 hits and 4 RBIs. Anthony Vecchiarelli and Derek Kimmerly scored 4 runs each. Josh Barber had his first two hits as a Diamond and picthed a scoreless final inning. York had 16 hits and 16 walks in the contest.

Next game is Thursday night against the Jays and then a Saturday night exhbition game against the Ontario Diamond Jacks at 6:00 at Keelesdale. The first 10 fans on Thursday we will receive autographed casual pants and one lucky winner will get a personalized 3-in-1 fondue set signed by Diamonds' star right fielder Brent Sterling.

Last Thursday saw the return of a number of veterans as Dave Wiseman returned from a leg injury and Rudy Naraine, Greg Shannon, Pete Zakkak, Bob Corn, and Ken Dicken all returned to the team. Owen McLaughlin twirled a masterful one-hit shutout as York defeated the Meadowvale North Jays by a score of 10-0. Steve Foley led the offense with 2 home runs.

On the weekend, York travelled to the Niagara Region to take on the OBA's Thorold Mariners. After having their first game postponed, the Diamonds took the opener by a count of 9-5. Andre Contreras contributed yet another long double to blow the game open in the bottom of the sixth inning. Anthony Vecchiarelli and Chetan Gandhi each had 2 hits and Paul Freeman scored three times. Gandhi pitched a complete game and struck out 8 along the way. York sported a new defensive allignnment as Matt Krause was at shortstop while Eric Foley patrolled centre field.

In the finale on Sunday there were some memorable moments as 58 year old righthander Ken Dicken took to the mound. Dicken pitched well and left with a 5-4 lead. Nineteen year old Patrick Vecchiarelli made his York mound debut and recorded the win, twirling 3 hitless frames and fanning 4. Matt Krause pitched a scoreless 2 innings to notch his fist career save as York pulled away to an easy 15-4 win.

Incredibly, Dicken batting for the first time in two season reached base in all 5 appearances, including 2 walks and 2 long singles. Patrick Vecchiarelli had his first hit as a Diamond. Matt Krause was 3-3 with a triple and 4 runs batted in. Owen McLaughlin had 2 singles and scored 4 times, John Raddi had a single and 3 batted in and caught the first few innings behind the plate. Paul Freeman reached base 4 times and scored 3 runs.

An even stranger defensive allignment took place, as Krause again played short, and turned a sweet double play with new second sacker Eric Foley, who later moved over to short when Krause went into pitch.

Rochon scattered 5 hits and worked into the 6th inning before giving way to Mike Holian who picked up his first save of the campaign. Diamonds' pitchers allowed only 5 hits but walked 7. Chuck Simpson had 3 hits for the Expos.

For York, Eric Foley returned from last season's injury to throw a pain-free 3 innings. Foley took the loss but was hampered by some poor luck and some poor defense. Newcomer Owen McLaughlin pitched two strong innings and singled in his only at bat. Rookie Josh Barber looked good in his debut and Matt Krause finished up with a scoreless inning and a third.

Andre Contreras added two hits and Steve Foley had a hit and 2 stolen bases.

Six Diamond errors and a few mental blunders were the teams undoing in the contest.

Skipper Paul Freeman didn't have much to say in his postgame newsconference in the recently beer-free clubhouse as he mumbled to the assembled press corps "Not a particularly good night all around. The Expos got great pitching and good defense. Our pitching was pretty good, but the defense looked a little rusty and we were a little flat. It's only one game and we will get better."

Freeman then had to flee the dressing room before parched teammates took out their thirstiness on him as they tried to launch him into the gurgling Black Creek behind left field.

The team has undergone a bit of a facelift as manager Dave Quennell has departed for the warm weather of Michigan. Former skipper, Paul Freeman reclaims the reins. Also moving on are Evan DePiero and Mike Rochon who were key moembers of the last few York squads. Veteran Bob Corn announced his retirement from the MSBL. Corn is guaranteed to be a first-ballot hall-of-famer when he becomes eligible in 2028.

York has added 4 newcomers this year to fill in for the departed players; including righthanded pitcher Josh Barber of Kingston, lefthanded pitcher Jesse Kugler of Toronto via Queens University, lefthanded pitcher/outfielder Owen McLaughlin of Orillia, and infielder Gord Anderson who last played for the Milton Red Sox.

A quick preview of each position shows the depth that the team has built up.

In the outfield - Steve Foley will again man centre field and captain the York offense. Brent Sterling returns after a 'sterling' season to play one of the corners. Joining Sterling will be last year's rookie sensation and baserunning kamikaze, Matt Krause, and newcomer Owen MacLaughlin. Paul Freeman and youthful veteran Greg Shannon round out the corps.

At third base, young up-and-comers Pete Zakkak and Victor Miranda will man the hot corner, to be ably assisted by Dan Fiorita and Gord Anderson. At shortstop, team prankster Rudy Naraine returns to solidify the infield. Anderson, Fiorita, and Derek Kimmerly provide depth.

At second base, the league's hottest hitter in the second half, Manny Rodriguez returns, and will be assisted by the Anderson, Kimmerly, Fiorita trio.

Over at first Eric Foley and Andre Contreras will see duty along with Dave Wiseman, John Raddi, and Vic Miranda.

Behind the plate, Anthony Vecchiarelli is back for his sophmore campaign and a motley crew of backups including Dan Fiorita, both Foleys, Rick Yez, John Raddi round out the corps.

On the mound, returnees Eric Foley and Dan Fiorita are a formidable one-two punch. Derek Kimmerly and newcomer Owen McLaughlin could crack the rotation as well. The middle relief staff will include Jesse Kugler, Kimmerly, John Raddi, Josh Barber and if needed Steve Foley and Matt Krause. Closer Chetan Gandhi returns after an injury-plagued 2007 season.

All-in-all if team chemistry is right and major injuries are avoided the Diamonds should challenge the defending champion Toronto Cardinals for the title. The new look Christie Pitts Jays and a crew of former Sentinel Devil players should make for a competitive and hard-fought campaign.

York's run began with a 2-0 sweep over the Sentinel Devils, as Game 1 was a nailbiter and Game 2 was an easy York win.

The series vs the Streetsville Colt 45's went back and forth with the Colts defeating a depleted York lineup 11-9 in Game 1, despite strong offensive performances from Manny Rodriguez and Nick Guglielmo. York responded in Game #2 behind Eric Foley and won 13-4. Rob Graham and Steve Peppi silenced the York bats in a 5-3 Colts victory in Game 3.

The A's got good pitching from Jay Thachuk and Osvaldo Diaz en route to the win. York starter Chetan Gandhi took the loss and was followed by a very effective Dan Fiorita. Steve Foley had 3 hits, including his second home run and Paul Freeman snapped his 0-26 slide with a blooper down the right field line. Donald Feng homered for the A's, as did Victor Miranda, who also contributed 3 singles. A rare appearance by Diamonds reclusive former centrefielder Rob "Grizz" Fraser was not enough to snap the team out of its slump.

Against the Colts, the York bats finally awakened as Eric Foley threw a gem, going the distance and striking out 8. Diamonds' nemesis Steve Pepi took the loss. Greg Shannon, Steve Foley, Eric Foley, Bob Corn, and Mark Lombard all had 2 hits to aid the York cause.

On Sunday the club overcame an early 3-0 deficit to come back and beat the Devils 6-4, with Dan Fiorita picking up the win in relief. Evan DePiero ignited the offense with 4 stolen bases.

Last night York defeated the league-leading Toronto Cardinals 15-1 in a lightning-shortened affair. Dan Fiorita worked all 5 innings to notch his second win. Eduardo Cisneros had 4 hits to raise his average to .750. Mark Lombard, Eric Foley, and Andre Contreras each had 2 hits. Manny Rodriguez had his first hit as a Diamond and Nick Guglielmo and Pete Zakkak were solid in the field, with Guglielmo contributing a web-gem, with a headlong dive in shallow left field and losing his glasses in the process.

Backup utility leftfielder Paul Freeman made his first career appearance in right field and had these comments after the game as he met the hordes of assembled media, "Things are starting to come together, the new character and flavour of this team is starting to come out and when you win, everyone's happy. The defensive turnaround has keyed this winning streak and hopefully we can keep it going. The addition of snacks to the postgame smorgasbord has been a welcome addition, as well." Freeman also wanted to give an internet welcome to newcomers Eduardo Cisneros, Reuben Cisneros, and Dave Wright, and also cautioned that Nick Guglielmo's email access might have to be restricted after particularly good games when a cold beverage or two might have been ingested.

Mike Rochon got start and pitched well. Chetan Gandhi pitched 2 hitless innings for the win and Eric Foley finished up for the save.

Offensively, Dan Fiorita had three hits and 5 RBI's and Eric Foley contributed a bases loaded double and 5 RBI's in total. Steve Foley also had 3 RBI's.

York's newcomers had a fine day at the plate as well, going 6-15 with 11 runs scored and 3 RBI's. Evan Depiero had 3 hits, Andre Contreras had 2 and Nick Guglielmo had 1. Mark Lombard and Manny Rodriguez scored 5 runs between them. Brent Sterling had 3 walks as well.

Team accountant Paul Freeman had these comments as he watched video of the stirring Buffalo Sabres comeback win, "It was a nice way to start the season. Everybody got to play and the newcomers seemed comfortable and fit right in. We got great pitching and patient and timely hitting tonight. As for the Sabres, it wasn't quite the 'MAYDAY' goal of the early 90's but it was pretty damned good nonetheless!"

The Fab 5 are Rudy Naraine, Neil Parekh, Don Cantwell, John Bissylas, and Rob Fraser, who have over 75 years combined experience with the team.

John Bissylas founded the York team back in the mid 1980's and was one of the MSBL's best players through the 80's and into the 90's. A fine first baseman with a strong knowledge of the game, Biss was a member of all 5 York championship teams.

Rob Fraser joined the Diamonds in the 80's as well. A spunky centrefielder, Fraser was a terror on the basepaths, a pesky contact hitter, and an inspirational leader in the clubhouse who throughly enjoyed spending time with the rest of the boys.

Rudy Naraine became a Diamond in 1992 and over the years learned to channel his intensity in a positive direction as he became a leader of the club. Naraine played a solid shortstop and possessed a rare combination of speed and power and he bled silver and blue more than most.

Don Cantwell became a Diamond in 1993. Aside from directing numerous social outings, Cantwell is a true student of the game and always played it the way it should be played. A knowledgable defensive catcher, Cantwell was always among the league leaders in walks, stolen bases, batting average, and RBI's.

Neil Parekh joined the Diamonds in the late 90's and despite his love of tennis and propensity to forget things in the dressing room, Parekh was perhaps the best defensive infielder in the league and tallied almost 50 home runs over his 8 seasons with York.

Newcomers to the squad include former Mississauga Falcons Evan DePiero, Chetan Gandhi, Andre Contreras, Manny Rodriguez, and Nick Guglielemo. Also joining the team from Newfoundland is outfielder Mark Lombard.

Backup utility outfielder, Paul Freeman had this to say about the departees and the upcoming season:"Obviously to lose five guys of that calibre is going to have an effect. They were all such character guys and great players that they will not be easily replaced."

"Having said that, I think we have done a good job of acquiring some new talent and we're looking forward to another strong year. Andre, Manny, Nick, and Evan will help to fill some of the gaps in our infield, Mark will be a valuable asset in the outfield, and Chetan will throw a lot of innings for us."

Position by position breakdown: york has 5 options to choose from behind the plate, including; Victor Medina, both Foleys, Rick Yez, and Evan DePiero.

Andre Contreras and Bob Corn will spend time at first base and DH. Manny Rodriguez, Dan Fiorita, Nick Guglielmo, Pete Zakkak and Evan DePiero will see time at the other infield spots. Eric Foley will also see action at the corner infield spots.

In the outfield, returness Paul Freeman, Steve Foley, Brent Sterling, Greg Shannon, and Campbell Gillies will be joined by DePiero and Mark Lombard.

Pitchers Ken Dicken, Eric Foley, Dan Fiorita, Mike Rochon, Tyler Sloan (Possibly) and John Raddi return, in addition to Chetan Gandhi.

The Diamonds only trailed for one inning during the entire series and won by scores of 11-9, 12-4, and 16-7.

Game 3 featured another standout performance by playoff MVP Eric Foley, who earned his SIXTH win of the playoffs, striking out 9, while adding 3 RBI to bring his series total to 10 and playoff total to 16. Troy Weston took the loss as he allowed 12 runs, with 9 of them being earned on 11 hits over 6 2/3 innings.

York scored 4 runs in the first inning with 3 coming on 2 Colts errors and one on a Pete Zakkak groundout. The Colts scored one in the bottom of the first after the red-hot Dexter Brozo (7-11 with 4 walks) led off with a single and later scored on a J.P. Fozo sacrifice fly. Foley then got of trouble by striking out Lou Vassos to end the inning.

In the second, York made it 6-1 on a back-to-back RBI singles by the Foley brothers. The Diamonds picked up single runs in the fourth and fifth on Eric Foley's RBI single and a Greg Shannon double.

The Colts made it interesting by trimming the lead to 8-4 after a Paul Hipolito home run and a Lou Vassos groundout in the sixth. However Rudy Naraine put the series away and ended Weston's evening with a grand slam to left.

A few innings later, when Rudy Naraine was thrown at and Don Cantwell was intentionally hit in the back, things could have escalated, but the Diamonds chose to be the classier team and not retaliate even though there was ample opportunity to do so in the bottom of the ninth as the boys in Silver and Blue decided to let the scoreboard do their talking for them. Steve Foley came on to close the deal with the last out being dug out of the dirt by Diamonds veteran Ken Dicken and the celebration was on.

In Game 2, Mike Rochon was magnificent on the mound, allowing only 4 hits over 6 innings. Eric Foley had 4 hits and 5 RBI's and Brent Sterling launched home run #2 as York coasted to an easy win.

The team went 27-6 overall this season and outscored opponents 339-147. Steve Foley .548 avg. 14 HR 60 RBI, 1.144 slugging percentage (need we say anymore?).

Eric Foley .391 average, 41 RBI, 8-3 record with 101 strikeouts and registered his 800th York strikeout in the final game.

Mike Rochon went 8-1 in his first season with York and had 2 wins against the Colts and one each against the Cardinals and Thunderbirds.

John Raddi got his first hit with York since 1992 after returning to the team after a 13 year absence and also was the team's spiritual candle leader

Rudy Naraine had 3 homers 30 RBI and 32 stolen bases (216 SB for his career)

Bob Corn hit .367 with 36 RBI and earned his 11th MSBL championship

Brent Sterling hit 2 home runs and hit almost .500 in the playoffs

Neil Parekh hit .351 with 15 SB(154 for his career) and also stroked his 47th and 48th York HR

Ken Dicken won 2 games and had 4.05 ERA over 20 innings. The Hawk also snagged his fourth consecutive York winning game ball

Dan Fiorita hit .316 with 2 HR, 3 wins, a 1.64 ERA and an awesome attitude whenever he was at the park

Don Cantwell had 32 RBI (326 career), hit .330 with his 28th York HR and was still the emotional heart and soul of this team

Paul Freeman hit .293 with a career high 7 SB, one flyout to the warning track and one 0.00 breathalizer reading

Pete Zakkak played great at a new position, knocked in 18 runs (397 career) and maintained a beautiful playing field at Keelesdale

Frank MacIntyre hit .286 in his first year with the Diamonds

Rob Fraser provided his usual spark, a nice venue for the victory party and had 6 SB and hit .264

Greg Shannon had 11 RBI (204 career) and played well at multiple positions

Skipper Dave Quennell showed why he is one of the league's best, guided York to the title in his return

Rick Yez provided some timely hits and walks and played more than he had in a number of years. His clutch hit in the semifinals helped to start a key York rally.

John Bissylas was a fixture in the first base coaching box and provided valuable leadership in the locker room

Butts then got some comments from the players themselves

First off was the reclusive and shy Rudy Naraine who screamed:"2005 champs baby, 2005 champs...it doesn't get any f---ing sweeter than this"

Next up was John Raddi who came with a tray full of lemon scented candles and said "In all seriousness this was great fun, I had a blast and it was great to see a total team effort out there!"

Bammer Cantwell's voice cracked as he remarked "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would see a guy blow a 0.00 into a Breathalizer...it's was extremely riveting and I thought that a--hole cop was going to swallow his tongue when he took that reading! Great effort boys...who's up for some bevvies?"

The wise mentor to many York pitchers, Hawk Dicken had this to say"It's was fun getting to be a part of this great season, the boys could have been a little neater when signing the game ball but who am I to complain?"

Grizz Fraser was so happy that he announced his retirement for the 14th consecutive season..we'll see you in the spring, Grizz!

Brent Sterling who was sizzling hot all playoffs long, spent a little too much time near Rudy Naraine and could be heard screaming "Champs baby, we're the champs baby!!"

Eric Foley won his third game of the series and fourth of the playoffs with another solid performance, working 8 innings and allowing 6 hits. Trung Duong took the loss for the visitors. After allowing a run in the top of the first, York struck back in the bottom of the frame, on a Rudy Naraine two-run homer. Other clutch hits were a 2-run double by Don Cantwell and a 2-run single by Steve Foley. Foley and Neil Parekh had 3 apiece for the Diamonds.Stellar defensive plays were turned in by almost every member of York's starting nine, especially Bammer "Upshaw" Cantwell who made some great plays at first, and Big "Gruber" Zak manning the hot corner.

The earlier game sof the series were higlighted by excellent pitching from Eric Foley and Kevin Horton. Foley captured games 1 and 3 by scores of 18-3 and 6-5, and Horton was the victor in Games 2 and 4 by scores of 11-1 and 8-5.

Bammer Cantwell met with the media while munching on some sweet potato frites at his favourite "bevvy" establishment and had these comments "In spite of the fact that my salad was too damn leafy, I was really proud of the effort tonight. The fact that Dan Fiorita drove in all the way from Kingston for this game brought tears to my eyes."Cantwell then went to practice some more of first base moves and ceded the microphone to third string leftfielder and part-time scorekeeper Paul Freeman who had these words"Great effort and a great series against a great team. A lot of good baseball and the Cardinals speed means they are always in every game. It was nice to beat them after losing to them last year."

Fiorita pitched superbly and was aided by a well-called game by Bammer Cantwell and strong defensive plays across the diamond (with the possible exception of the stone-gloved leftfielder). Steve Foley made a diving catch in centre field, Bob Corn made a couple of nice plays in right and Rudy Naraine was rock solid at short. The play of the night was turned in by Eric Foley, with a head-long dive to snare a hard grounder in the ninth and an outstanding catch by Dan Fiorita as he arrived at the bag to take the throw to end the game.

Offensively, Pete Zakkak had 2 hits and an RBI and Bob Corn and Steve Foley also contributed RBI's. The Colts were led by strong defense from Kevin Lee, and on offense by Dexter Brozo, who had 2 hits a walk and 4 stolen bases.

The stone-gloved leftfielder met the media while in a hyperbaulic chamber to try and heal his kink in the neck and had these comments. "Great win in a well-played game...it reminded us that we are capable of beating the Colts if we just play our game. The defense and pitching were awesome tonight and we managed to wriggle a few runs off their guys who threw the ball really well.

York was led by the top three RBI men in the league, with Steve Foley breaking out of his mini slump with a HR (#5) and 4 RBI (23 on the year), and Bob Corn with 2 RBI (#16,17), and Eric Foley with 2 sacrifice flies (RBI #15,16). Rookie Dan Fiorita had 3 hits to raise his average to .500, Brent Sterling had 2 hits and 2 RBI and Paul Freeman chipped in with 2 RBI.

Rochon went the route scattering 5 hits, while striking out 4 to move his record to 2-0. Great defensive plays were turned in by Neil Parekh, Brent Sterling, Eric Foley, and Rudy Naraine...and Rick Yez called a brilliant game behind the plate.

Offensively York was led by little-known rookie Steve Foley, who went 5-6 with 3 doubles,4 RBI, and his fourth homer of the year. Eric Foley had 2 RBI's and was robbed of at least 3 base hits. Brent Sterling had 2 hits and 2 RBI, Neil Parekh had 2 doubles, and Paul Freeman 2 singles. John Raddi set a new record for the longest time between basehits as a member of the Diamonds as his pinch hit single was his first York hit since he was a member of the York Ultimate QB's back in the 1992 season.

Leftfielder and interim skipper Paul Freeman took to the podium in place of the Goose Flu ridden Dave Quennell and had these comments: "First off playing in that park was worth the hour and half drive to get there...it ended up being a beautiful night for baseball, other the fact that Jen and Hester were under a constant barrage of foul balls but they handled themselves like true pros dodging ball after ball. Anyways onto the game, Mike Rochon was brilliant tonight, hitting his spots and changing speeds and Spanky called an awesome game. It took a lot of guts for Bobby, Grizz, and Spank to show up after a weekend of tournament ball but they all came and were a big part of the win. The defense was awesome tonight...all of the infielders made great plays and Steve just did it all for us again tonight. I felt bad for Eric that he scorched the ball all night and had nothing to show for it. When I saw him having a Corn-Dawg in the parking lot after the game, I knew that he wasn't going on the suicide watch just yet. As for the Corn-Dawg himself I hope he made it home safely because he looked pretty damn tuckered out by the end of the game. It was nice to see John Raddi have a good at-bat and get a basehit and good to see Dan Fiorita get some hacks in tonight. All in all a good win over a very tough team...I am sure these two teams may meet down the road in a far more meaningful game...."

Freeman was then cut off by Neil Parekh who screamed "I know I forgot to say this when I caught that second popup so here it is now for all my fans --- OK, OK, OK ---there I hope you are all happy now."

Foley also chipped in with home run #3 on the year. Rudy Naraine had 3 singles and Don Cantwell a hit, 2 RBI's and 2 stolen bases. York stole 6 bases on the night and generally played a good game.

Skipper Dave Quennell came down with the Keelsdale Goose Flu and snored throughout his postgame teleconference so Brent Sterling stepped in and had these comments: "It was a good comeback by the boys, but on a down note I am left searching for answers as to why our guys do not follow my instructions on search and rescue techniques. As a little tip, the number one rule of Ball Search and Rescue is that it is pretty difficult to find the ball if nobody ever gets off their asses to go and look for it."

Sterling then prepared to storm off but then thought better of it and softly muttered "It's ok we have a lot of novice ball searchers and under my expert tutelage I am sure they can perfect all of my techniques in short order."

Sterling then left the podium and veteran Greg Shannon stepped up to calm the media hordes who were anxious to discuss his first hit of the year, a ringing single to left. Shannon had these comments: "The claw felt good tonight and was nice to get a solid hit...however being asked to steal afterwards was totally uncalled for..doesn't my acting skipper know that I could damage my fragile, claw, back, leg, etc... with such a foolish move?" Shannon then proceeded to remark :"At least he took me out of the game next inning so I didn't risk any further injury"

Offensively York had 17 hits, as rookie supersub Steve Foley doubled in all 4 plate appearances and knocked in 2 runs. Pete Zakkak had 2 hits and 4 RBI and Bob Corn had 2 hits and 3 RBI. Eric Foley also pitched in with 2 hits. Defensive gems were turned in by Neil Parekh, Don Cantwell, Dan Fiorita, and Jeff Hofstetter.

The mysterious 'Keelesdale Goose Flu' reappeared and felled 3 members of the Diamonds, as Bob Corn ripped the IV out of his arm to make sure he got to the game on time and Rudy Naraine and Paul Freeman were also feeling the effects of the mysterious KGF. Normally media-shy Eric Foley approached the podium and uttered a brief statement that read "First my damn pinky is almost severed in a freak boating accident and now that darn Goose Flu has reappeared, what more could happen to this team...we must be cursed." Foley then scurried away from the media throng of 168 to get back to his basement to continue his career as a ghostwriter for a series of motivational books aimed at infants and toddlers.

Manager Dave Quennell then hustled up to the microphones wearing his game day gear of loafers, slacks, and a polo shirt and had these memorable comments "Uh, uh, we looked good tonight" before leaving to search for the team's AWOL hat order.

The Diamonds starting battery combined for almost 100 years of age as crafty vet Ken Dicken was the surprise starter. The "Hawk" pitched well for 2 innings before giving way to winner Tyler Sloan who twirled two perfect innings. Mike Rochon pitched two innings striking out 3, Rob Hofstetter fanned 2 in his only inning and rookie Dan Fiorita pitched a perfect eighth.

York's offense was led by super backup utilityman Stev Foley, who had 2 homers and 6 RBI's. Don Cantwell was stellar behind the plate, made two beautiful plays at first base, and went 3-4. Rudy Naraine had 2 hits, Pete Zakkak had 4 good at bats, and Dan Fiorita collected his first big league hit.

Veterans Don Cantwell, Ken Dicken, Neil Parekh, Rudy Naraine, Pete Zakkak, Rob Fraser, Greg Shannon, Brent Sterling, Paul Freeman, Victor Medina, Tyler Sloan, Jeff Hofstetter, Rob Hofstetter, Eric Foley, Rick Yez, and Campbell Gillies return.

Dave Quennell returns to the manager's chair and John Bissylas moves from player to the coaching ranks.

Skipper Dave Quennell returns to captain the team that he led to championships in 1993, 1996, and 1999. As well the Diamonds are please to announce the trade of Ray Izzi, Art Carr, Lloyd Thompson, Dennis Waechter, and Hyun Rho to the Fargo-Moorehead Redhawks of the Northern League in exchange for strapping young utilityman Steve Foley. Foley will fill the utility role vacated by his brother Eric, who has now moved into the full-time mop-up man position. Foley has spent the last number of years playing in the minor leagues and returns to Keelesdale where he spent 3 seasons with the Junior York Pioneers before completing his junior career with the Canadian champion North York Blues.

Mike Rochon picked up the win, pitching his third solid game against York this year. Ray Victorino had 6 RBI and 3 hits for the Cards and Steve Correia had three hits and 4 runs scored. The Cards totaled 19 hits off three pitchers. Jeff Castronaro was the victim of some questionable defense in the 4 run first and the 8 run sixth innings but pitched very well in between. York's offense was again led by veteran Don Cantwell, who went 4-4 and concluded the season hitting a York record, .513 and knocked in 28 runs in just 21 games. Rudy Naraine doubled and tripled for the Diamonds and had 3 RBI. Eric Foley made his first appearance at third base and had a strong defensive game.

Manager Paul Freeman carefully chose his words at the final media gathering of the season :"Obviously we've got to give the Cardinals credit...we had them one batter away from sweeping the series but they still managed to come back. Steve and Rob have done a great job over there and they have great young team and they are a credit to our league."

Starter Marcus Belardi threw well for 7 1/3 innings before giving way to Sean Conlin, who picked up his sixth win of the season, after allowing the go-ahead runs, he struck out 4 batters. Phil Vazzano continued to be a thorn in York's side with a three-run double. Ryan Wakelin returned to action with three hits, including a triple.

For York, ace Eric Foley made his third start of the series and deserved a better fate. Foley did reach a milestone as his third strikeout of the evening was the 700th of his Diamonds' career.

Offensively York had three hits and three RBI from Don Cantwell, three hits from Rudy Naraine, a home run from Neil Parekh (his 48th as a Diamond), and two hits apiece from Rob Fraser and Paul Freeman.

Rob Hofstetter threw one of his best games of the season, despite not having his best stuff. Hofstetter used key defensive plays by Rudy Naraine, Neil Parekh, Greg Shannon, Don Cantwell, Jeff Hofstetter, and Eric Foley to his full advantage and only allowed one run in his 5 innings of work. Victor Medina came on in the sixth and twirled a shutout 4 innings to earn his second win of the season. Trung Duong pitched 7 strong innings for the Cardinals.

After York squandered a bases loaded nobody out scenario in the first inning, the Diamonds came back with a nifty Naraine-Parekh-Foley double play in the bottom of the first. The Cardinals broke on top in the third after Cedric Grin singled and scored on a Ray Victorino single. York tied it 1-1 in the fifth on a Neil Parekh single and a ringing Don Cantwell double. The 1-1 tie lasted until the 7th when Rudy Naraine walked, stole second and scored on a Rob Hofstetter base hit. In the eighth, Duong was replaced by Marcus Belardi, who walked Medina and Rob Fraser, and gave up a bloop single to Naraine, before back-to-back sacrifice flies by Parekh and Cantwell made it 4-1. In the ninth Mike Rochon came on and allowed a Medina RBI single.

Hitting leaders for York were Naraine, Cantwell, and the resurgent Greg Shannon who all had 2 hits apiece and leadoff man Rob Fraser who had a single and 4 walks. The MSBL's leading hitter, Steve Correia was 2-5 for the Cardinals.

Eric Foley was dominant sctaerring three hits and striking out 9 in 7 innings of work. Jeremy Service pitched two solid innings in relief. Due to a shortage of arms, the Cardinals had to go deep into their pitching staff and allowed a whopping 9 hit batsmen on the night.

York's offense was keyed by a returning Rob Hofstetter, who reached base 4 times, including a long 2 run home run and a double. Don Cantwell blew the game open with a three run single as Neil Parekh managed to score all the way from first base with the third run. Cantwell had a total of 4 RBI's on the night and Parekh chipped with three. Rick Trotta had 2 hits and 2 stolen bases and Ray Victorino and Fabio Vazzano also had 2 hits for the Cardinals. Don Cantwell called a brilliant game behind the plate for the Diamonds, who were also aided by strong defense from Rudy Naraine, Paul Freeman, and Rob Hofstetter.

Manager Paul Freeman almost cracked a hint of a smile in his postgame sitdown with the media masses, which totalled 638 for this playoff series and had these words, "We finally had all 18 guys out there tonight and it was a great help to have everybody playing in positions they were comfortable with. After I learned of Jeff Hofstetter's lack of ultimate frisbee prowess, I was a bit worried and I know he was disappointed in not being able to play....but the rest of the guys stepped up big time. Bammer was awesome behind the plate and Eric was dominant. He had the deuce working and threw strikes. Rudy was solid in the field and we were really patient at the plate. The nine hit batsmen were interesting to watch, but they were all accidental and fortunately we escaped with a few minor bumps and bruises. I thought Rob Hofstetter had a great first game back after the birth of his son Owen. The contributions of our bench were great as well with Brian Hofstetter, Jason Stober, and Jeff Castronaro all getting hits, Jeremy pitching well, and Victor getting a walk and catching well."

When asked about his own catch to snuff out a Cards rally, Freeman remarked that "I thought it was way over my head, I just reached up and luckily it went in my glove." Eric Foley was asked to describe his method for getting hit by pitches after taking 2 in the game and said, "My brother Steve has an interesting method whereby he just lets the ball hit him and break bones in his hand, but I actually tried to get out of the way, I just wasn't quick enough I guess.

Jeff Hofstetter made his debut coaching third and had a quick one-liner for the media when asked to assess his own performance, "At least there were no frisbees flying at me, them suckers can really hurt."

The masses tried to get a comment from shortstop Rudy Naraine but he was too busy eating ribs and and an entire chocolate mousse cake to say anything.

York was led by a long home run by Jeff Hofstetter(his fifth) and three hits apiece for Foley and Brent Sterling. Shortstop Rudy Naraine made a solid return with 2 doubles and several nice fielding plays.For the A's Michael Bruce blew the game open with a three run homer in the 9th inning. Andrew Bruce and John Thachuk had three hits apiece.

Game 1 last Sunday, Falcons beat York 11-8. Game 2, Mike Holian shuts down York bats for a 3-1 Falcons' win. Game 1 last night, York blows another one, allowing 3 last inning runs to lose 9-8. In Game 2, wracked by no-shows and with many starters absent, the Diamonds turned to catcher Victor Medina to pitch the nightcap and he responded with a clutch performance, going the distance and scattering 7 hits as York scored a key 8-4 win.

In Game 1, the Diamonds had victory within their grasp before some shoddy defense and wildness on the mound allowed the tying and winning runs to score. Jeremy Service battled gamely on the hill. Frank Diamanti had 3 hits for the Cards, and Steve Correia and both Vazzano brothers chipped in with 2 hits, including a Fabio Vazzano home run. Trung Duong started for the Cards and was rleieved by Mike Rochon who got the win. For York, Don Cantwell, Neil Parekh, and Paul Freeman all had 2 hits and Freeman also added 3 RBI and an outfield assist. The game also featured Diamonds gold glove infielder Neil Parekh taking a header and subsequent face plant after tripping over the pitcher's mound while chasing a pop-up.

Things looked grim for York as between games, there was a silence on the bench as the players reflected on yet another blown opportunioty while munching on cucumber on watercress finger sandwiches and sipping on raspberry tea.

Game 2 featured a phenomenally gutty effort by the whole club especially Medina and catcher Jeff Hofstetter who volunteered to catch both games. Medina struck out four a had two key hits bringing home three runs. Rob Fraser and Neil Parekh chipped in with 3 hits of their own and Greg Shannon, Jeremy Service, and Brent Sterling added 2 apiece, fueling a 16 hit attack. A wacky play also occurred as Neil Parekh reached third base on a striukout somehow.

Here is the complete rundown of events:

-- Neil Parekh competes in a face plant competition against former Wonderyears star Fred Savage as both men will jump off the clubhouse roof and try to plant their kissers on the Diamonds bullpen mound.

--Jason "Swanny " Stober will perform a stirring condensed version of the Swan Lake Ballet with his entourage including Diamonds supersub outfielder Campbell "Twinkletoes" Gillies

Six Man Tag Team Wrestling makes a return as Jeff, Rob, and Brian Hofstetter take to the ring to face off against the unlikely tag team of Paris Hilton, Wayne Newton, and Little Jimmy Dickens.

Second baseman Pete Zakkak dons his sausage mascot costume to defend his title in the mascot race against former American president Bill Clinton who will wear the costume of the Pillsbury doughboy.

Victor Medina will autograph copies of his new memoir "Just Give Me the Damn Ball" outside the Diamonds clubhouse.

Rob "Grizz" Fraser and Greg Shannon will take part in the celebrity flapjack eating contest against defending champions Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles.

Skipper Paul Freeman will be preaching on the virtues of going to your "happy" place whenever the team makes an error.

Eric Foley will reveal the new Diamonds website complete with instructional video on how to move your mouse if you know what I mean.

Don "Bammer" Cantwell will take on former Expos reliever and Oklahoma farmer Woddy Fryman in a cow milking contest.

Jeff Castronaro enters the swimsuit competition against teen idol Britney Spears.

Jeremy Service gives car security tips.

Rick Spanky Yez tutors your youngster on how to throw the Slider of Death.

John Bissylas presents you the opportunity to massage Johnny's back or any other part of his body for that matter.

Skipper Paul Freeman met with the media in a subdued press conference and had these comments: "Their starter threw a great game, keeping us off-balance and Jeremy was great as well. Overall we got great pitching and played good D but we just didn't hit. I am proud of the way we tried to gut it out with a severly depleetd lineup. This has been an incredibly frustrating saeson with so many guys missing games due to things beyond thier control, work issues, family issues, vacations, pregnancies, just little things coming up here and there and we haven't put out anything resembling our best offensive lineup except in one or two early season games. I am very understanding of the reasons why guys are missing games but it is extremely frustrating nonetheless. There is real possibility that we could miss the playoffs because the teams behind us all play each other a lot and if we don't get everybody out to the games and get this thing in gear we might be on the outside looking in. Our record vs the Colts, Cardinals, and Falcons is a horrendous 1-5-1 and at this point push is coming to shove and we have got to realize that if we don't get it going then it will be a very long winter. Hopefully on Sunday we can get a good turnout and get things back in gear."

York jumped out to an early 3-0 lead off newcomer Kevin Tierney in the first on a Rob Hofstetter siingle, a Jeff Hofstetter walk, an RBI single by Pete Zakkak, and a 2-run single by Eric Foley. The Devils countered with 2 in the second off Jeff Castronaro on a Peter Staffacos 2 run. Paul Hynes hit his second home run of the year to knot the game at 3 before an Eric Foley RBI double gave York the 4-3 lead after 3 innings. Tierney worked 4 solid innings for the Devils before giving way to Jamie Bennett. James Fensom hit his league leading 5th home run to tie the game at 4 in the sixth inning. York retook the lead in the bottom of the inning after Jeremy Service had his second hit of the night and Tyler Sloan pinch ran and scored on a Rob Hofstetter sacrifice fly. Castronaro pitched 6 inning, striking out 5 and Rob Hofstetter pitched the final three frames. In the top of the ninth, after a Diamonds' error, Richard Geddy doubled off the wall to tie the game, but Hofstetter pitched out of a jam and finished the night with 6 strikeouts.

Greg Shannon was the lone offensive bright spot for the Diamonds, hitting his first home run of the year. Rick Boutilier was 4-4 with 2 RBI and 5 stolen bases, Bob Corn and Paul Hipolito hit a 2-run home runs and Mike Sansone had 2 doubles for the Colts. Tyler Sloan threw 3 strong innings in relief for the Diamonds.

Jeff Castronaro returned to the mound and worked a solid 4 innings before tiring in the fifth, to pick up win #1. Rick Yez relieved and worked out of a jam before giving way to Eric Foley, who was dominant the rest of the way.

York had three home runs, including Jeff Hofstetter's 4th and Rob Hofstetter and Pete Zakkak with their first of the year. Sentinel had 4 home runs by James Fensom, Gari Edwards, Paul Hynes, and Mike Tigani. Both of the aformentioned Hofstetters had 4 RBI and Eric Foley went 4-4 and reached base in all 6 at-bats. New leadoff man Brent Sterling had an incredible day scoring 4 runs, going 2-3 and adding 4 walks and Rick Yez lined a single to left for his first hit of the campaign.

Manager Paul Freeman met with the media as he ducked gunfire in the Jane/Finch corridor and had these comments: "All in all a nice win, Jeff was great until getting tired in the fifth, Spanky was effective as well and Eric was great. the offense came around with 18 hits and 15 walks and it was nice to see Zak hit a couple of balls hard. The only downside was the infield defense again...I know we have used a lot of diffferent combos and that has not helped and that there have been a lot of tough balls but we have to start making some plays...6 more infield errors tonight won't cut it when the games really count."

York scored 11 runs in the top of the first on 7 walks and 4 hits with the two biggest blows being a Jeff Hofstetter grand slam and then if it wasn't enough, Hofstetter came up again later in the inning and blasted a three-run homer. It is said that the Diamonds will be kidnapping Jeff's girlfriend to make sure that she attends all games in the future. Hofstetter almost improved on his already incredible day by flying out twice more to deep centre later in the game. Fellow Guelph native and brother, Rob Hofstetter enjoyed the run support and pitched 6 innings to earn his first win of the year. Some shoddy defense meant that 7 of the A's 9 runs were unearned. Tyler Sloan pitched the final 3 innings for his first save of the campaign. Don Cantwell blasted a solo homer down the right field line to wow his wife Michelle and daughters Hailey and Taylor who were in attendance.

In all Jeff Hofstetter, Brent Sterling, and Cantwell had 3 hits and Rudy Naraine doubled and tripled to lead the York offense.

For the A's, Todd Campbell pitched 8 strong innings in relief and also had 3 hits. The game ended on weird play where an A's groundball got through the infield and left fielder Paul Freeman made a brutal 26 hop throw to the plate which was not in time, catcher Jeff Hofstetter then fired to third, wide and off the glove of Greg Shannon...the ball then caromed back to Freeman in shallow left field who then proceeded to chase after and tag out the A's baserunner to conclude the festivities. Freeman found it somewhat ironic that on perhaps the ugliest throw of his life that he would be credited with perhaps his lone assist of the season.

Foley took a no-hitter into the 6 before being broken off by a John Edwards base hit. Edwards had the only two Devils' hits in the ball game as Foley struck out nine before exiting after the sixth. Offensively, Rudy Naraine and Jason Stober each had 2 hits.

Neil ‘Long Ball’ Parekh powered the York Diamonds past the Mississauga Colt 45’s Thursday evening, earning the Diamonds their second win of the season, 8-7. Neil drove in five runs with three hits, two of them round trippers.

Rob Hofstetter threw his best game in a Diamond’s jersey by shutting down the explosive Colts offense. Hofstetter limited the Colts to only four hits over five innings while striking out four. Jeremy Service came on in relief and slammed the door shut earning his first big league win by pitching three hitless innings. Jeff Hofstetter had two hits and an RBI, Eric Foley & Rudy Naraine each had a hit and an RBI and Brent Sterling, Paul Freeman & Pete Zakkak each collected a hit

. Lou Vasso lead the Colts with a pair of hits and Rob Graham took the loss.

The Diamonds continued their disappointing play by dropping an 8-7 loss to the Mississauga Falcons Sunday evening. Starter Eric Foley deserved a much better fate, as he went the distance and took the loss for the Diamonds.

The Falcons were lead by Willie Garces who had three hits on the night. Al MacInnis and Chris Boyle both drove in two runs for the Falcons and Chetan Gandhi picked up the win by throwing a scoreless two-thirds in relief.

The Falcons took an early lead but the Diamonds battled back and made a game of it with the lead changing hands several times. Tied @ six in the top of the ninth inning, Don ‘Bammer’ Cantwell popped a bunt down the third-base line that fell in for a single. After stealing second, Cantwell was advanced to third with a perfect sacrifice bunt by rookie sensation Jeremy Service. A pinch-hit RBI single by Victor Medina gave the Diamonds the lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. Foley was able to reach down for a little something extra and retired the first two batters quickly and struck out what would have been the final out of the game with a nasty curveball only to have the batter advance on the wild-pitch. Due to a shortage in players, Skipper Paul Freeman’s body double was forced to utilize some players in foreign positions leading to a couple of miscues that allowed the Falcons to score both the tying and winning run. The Diamonds were once again lead by the 3-4 punch of Neil Parekh and Jeff Hofstetter who each collected two hits and were on base a combined 7 times. Don Cantwell has been greatly missed and marked his return with two hits an RBI and a stolen base. Eric Foley hit the ball on the screws all night and drove in two runs. Other Diamonds that collected hits were Medina, Brian Hofstetter, Service, and Naraine.

Foley went all the way scattering 7 hits, while striking out 10. Emerick Kriz took the loss for the A's, and Hugh Dawkins pitched 4 excellent innings in relief.

York jumped ahead 2-0 in the first on a Rudy Naraine double, and a Paul Freeman single, and both scored on wild pitches. In the second the Diamonds tallied three more on a Rick Purewal walk, a Naraine triple, a Freeman walk, a Rob Hofstetter sacrifice fly, and a Jeff Hofstetter double. In the fifth York scored again after a Greg Shannon bases loaded walk.

The A's scored one in the seventh on a Mike Bruce RBI single, and 2 in the 8th to make it close, but Foley slammed the door to earn his first win of the season.

Hitting leaders for the A's were Mike Bruce and Joe Rolston with 2 hits apiece. York was led by Rudy Naraine who finished a homer short of the cycle and Jeff Hofstetter who had two more hits to raise his average to .467. The league's leading hitter, Rob Hofstetter was 1-1 to up his average to a lofty .667. Hofstetter also walked, hit a sacrifice fly, and was hit by a pitch. The game also marked the return of veteran York catcher Don Cantwell, who walked in both of his trips to the plate.

Manager Paul Freeman met the media, while munching on a side salad at a local Dairy Queen and had this to say: "Well we got the monkey off of our backs finally. We played well, except for a few bouts of how shall I say this, 'creative' baserunning. Four guys thrown out on the bases is way too much. But other than that it was a solid game, Eric threw the hell out of the ball, and Rudy and Jeff had big nights offensively. It was nice to see Hawk back at the ballpark and hopefully his shin will be ok. We have a tough schedule coming up with our next 6 games, being the Colts 3 times, the Cardinals twice, and the Falcons once, so we should know a lot more about what kind of team we have by the end of this stretch."

Devils starter John Edwards pitched well into the third inning before giving up a solo home run to Neil Parekh to cut the Devils lead to 4-2. In the next inning, reliever Jamal Vanderpool gave up a Sentinel Park grand slam to Eric Foley, on a rotine fly ball that just cleared the fence. The Devils battled back to tie things at 7 entering the final frame.

Paul Freeman led off the 7th with a basehit and was sacrificed to second by Jeremy Service. One out later, Jeff Hofstetter's fly ball got lost in the twilight and Freeman scored the go-ahead run, which ultimately set the stage for the Devils winning rally in the bottom of the inning.

The Diamonds were led by Jeff and Rob Hofstetter with 2 hits apiece and two spectacular defensive plays by younger brother Brian...the first as he leapt and crashed into the centre field wall to rob Zak Davidson of extra bases and the second a perfect strike to Neil Parekh who then fired to Jason Stober to erase Mike Tigani trying to stretch a single into a double.

The Devils were led by relief pitcher, Jon Hale, who picked up his first big league win and Jamie Bennett and Zak Davidson, who reached base a combined 5 times. Gari and Glenn Edwards also had 2 hits each.

The Falcons made an already strong team stronger with rthe additions of Al MacInnins, Dwayne Hewie, and Chris Clark from the Sentinel Devils, and it looked like they would blow the Diamonds out of the waterafter taking an early 4-0 lead on a Manny Rodriguez RBI single, a Nick Guglielmo RBI double, and RBI singles by Chris Boyle and Rodriguez.

Eric Foley started for York and went the first 6 innings, running into a little bad luck and striking out 9, while allowing 8 hits and 4 walks. Jason Dwyer started for the Falcons and pitched into the third, allowing a Rob Hofstetter RBI double. Mike Holian took over and pitched very well, but York rallied for 3 runs in the fifth to tie the game after an Eric Foley walk, Rob Hofstetter and Victor Medina singles and a clutch 2 run single by pinch hitter Rob Fraser before a run scored on a wild pitch. Holian settled down before giving way to Chetan Gandhi in the seventh. Tyler Sloan pitched the last 2 scoreless innings for York to preserve the tie.

Hitting leaders for York were Neil Parekh with 2 hits and 2 stolen bases, Jeff and Rob Hofstetter with 2 apiece, and Brian Hofsetter, who chipped in with his first big league hit. For the Falcons, Al MacInnis had 2 hits, as did Manny Rodriguez.

Before the game, York announced the signing of former Brantford Red Sox and Ajax Spartans pitcher Jermey Service. Welcome aboard, Jeremy!

Manager Paul Freeman met with the media inside his luxury skybox and had these comments "Another day and another tie...but I thought we played better tonight. One bad inning in the field and some tough luck hurt us. Eric and Tyler really threw well and Rob Hofstetter is just hammering the ball right now. It looks like some of our hitters are starting to get untracked a bit. We still left way too many guys on base (13) but that happens sometimes. Grizz' hit was huge for us and it was nice to see him and Ricky Purewal back out with the team tonight. The Falcons are going to be contenders for the title this year...their new additions are going to pay for them."

Eric Foley and Todd Campbell both pitched superbly as Foley went 5 innings, allowing 2 uneraned runs and Campbell went 6 strong innings for the A's. The A's scored 2 in the fourth on a wild pitch and a passed ball.

York countered with one in the fifth on a wild pitch and three in the sixth on Eric Foley and Victor Medina RBI singles and a clutch pinch hit double by Jason Stober.

The A's struck back immediately as reliever Rob Hofstetter was let down by some shoddy defense, including 4 errors in the seventh as the A's took a 5-4 lead. Alex Lekas came onto pitch the 7th for the A's and walked the first 3 men before giving way to Colin Cameron. An Eric Foley RBI groundout and a Rob Hofstetter single put York up 6-5, but Cameron was suberb after that limiting York the rest of the way while striking out 5. Tyler Sloan took over in the 8th and promptly gave up a run after an Adrew Dawes triple, but Sloan then settled down and pitched an excellent 2 innings to earn the tie. Hitting stars for York were Rob Hofstetter with 3 singles, and Eric Foley and Victor Medina with 2 singles each.

Brian Hofstetter made his York debut and acquitted himself well. York stole 7 bases with 3 by Rudy Naraine and 2 each by Neil Parekh and young speedster Jeff Hofstetter.

Manager Paul Freeman met the media as he sang off-key lullabies to his son Ryan and had these comments "It was freezing out there tonight and that worked in the pitchers favour. We were lucky to come out of there with a tie because we played 3 lousy innings defensively but we showed some character battling back and then not letting the A's win it once they had tied it up. Eric, Rob, and Tyler all threw well as did Campbell and Cameron for the A's. For awhile it looked like we were sleepwalking but we got it going in the middle of the game. It should be a very competitive season and the tie is a decent way to start it."