The Hitmen were able to take care of the Wild Card winners', the Maui Tropics in 5 games thanks the offense scoring 34 runs in 5 games, avg 6.8 rpg. The NLCS was an ugly series vs Baffin Island Beavers as both teams elite SP were not up to par, none more evident as Cy Young hopeful J-Rod got destroyed by the Hitmen in game 3, 1.1 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K. The Hitmen finished off the Beavers in 6 games and became the first team to make 2 World Series appearances. Two days later the Regina River Sharks matched that feat by the Hitmen.
It's has been a long and frustrating 2 years, but Hays and the Hitmen finally got back to the World Series and just like in 2010 they came home with the title. After winning the inaugural World Series in 2010, the Hitmen were eliminated in the 1st round each of the last 2 playoffs.


Game 1 Recap: The River Sharks jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first off of Burgess, but the Hitmen offense repsonded with 4 of their own off the bat of "Dirty" Hernandez who hit a Grand Slam in the bottom of the 1st to tie it up at 4. From there on it was all Hitmen as they ran away with 11-4 win. Rookie CF Rodriguez went 4-4, 2B, 2 runs and 2 RBIs from the lead-off spot in his World Series debut.


Game 2 Recap: Game 2 featured the best pitching game of the entire playoffs as Regina Ace Fransico Rivera out dual H'ville young stud Mike Haward in an instant classic. Both SP went 8.0 and took a shutout into the 8th, but Hayward's only mistake was a lead-off, 2 strike pitch to Bill O'Keefe who hit it for his 6th HR of the playoffs and the only run of the game.
Hendersonville | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | PI | PS | ERA |
M. Haward L (1-1) | 8.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 107 | 72 | 2.86 |
Regina | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | PI | PS | ERA |
F. Rivera W (2-2) | 8.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 85 | 56 | 2.61 |


Game 3 Recap: With the series tied at 1-1 heading to Regina the Hitmen NEEDED a win in Game 3 with Walter Bamber taking the mound. Bamber pitched great (8.0 IP, 2 ER) but the real story was Manny "The Cobra" Copriviza. After falling behind 1-0 in the first Copriviza lead off the 2nd with a 2B and scored later on a single by Burkholder. In the top of the 9th with the game tied at 2-2, Copriviza hit his 4th HR of the playoffs giving the Hitmen a 3-2 lead heading to the bottom of the 9th. Tommy "Flash" Smith had a RARE blown save when Rob Sharp (who was activated from the DL before the game) hit a clutch HR in the bottom of the 9th. The game stayed tied at 3-3 until "The Cobra" struck again in the top of the 13th with a 2-out NO DOUBTER 514-foot GW HR.
Hendersonville | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | AVG | HR | RBI |
"The Cobra" DH | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .404 | 5 | 10 |


Game 4 Recap: Game 4 ended with the same score as game 3, but with a lot less of the dramatics. Manny "The Cobra" Copriviza had another great game, hitting a clutch 2-run HR (6th of Playoffs) to tie the game at 2-2 in the 4th inning and added a RBI 2B in the 6th to make it a 1-run game. Manny finished 2-3, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 1 Run, 1 BB.
Regina SP Bill Allan pitched a great game (7.2 IP, 3 ER, 10 K) and relied on two big 2-run HRs by DH B. O'Keefe (7th) and RF H. Johnston (2nd).


Game 5 Recap: Game 5 was a rematch of Game 1 with Burgess and Leach going head-2-head. The first time around the Hitmen roughed up Leach for 6 runs in 3.2 IP and this time around they got to him again, getting 5 ER in 7.0 IP. Burgess, who has stepped up into the playoff ACE role, pitched another brilliant game getting his 4th playoff win going 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 8 Ks.
Gregg Burkholder finally had a great game winning the game MVP with a 2-4 day with 2 RBIs, 2 Runs, 2B, 3B.


Game 6 Recap: For the 4th time in 6 games the River Sharks scored in the first inning and jumped out to an early lead. Down 3-0 in the 2nd inning "Dirty" Hernandez hits a solo HR (7th) then in bottom of the 3rd defensive SS Joe Richardson hits a lead off HR followed by a 2-run HR by CF Luis Padilla giving the Hitmen a 4-3 lead.
Regina took the lead back in 5th off of a 2-run HR by All-Star C Victor 'Doughboy' Antelo, his 1st HR of the World Series. 2 HBP by MR Tommy Connare lead to 2 more runs in the top of the 7th giving Regina another 3-run lead, 7-4 with 9 outs to go to force a game 7.
The Hitmen got 2 runs back in the bottom of the 7th with a 2B, wild pitch, BB then a 3B setting up a dramatic finish. The Hitmen headed into the bottom of the 9th down 1-run and facing one of the most dominating CL in BSA in Joe Riley. Riley quickly got 2 outs and then in stepped Gregg Burkholder who crushed a 431-foot HR (2nd) to RF to tie up the game and send it to extra innings.
Tommy "Flash" Smith shut down the heart of Regina's order in the top of the 10th setting up Alvarez-Copriviza-Dirty due up in the bottom half of the inning. Riley, still in the game, gave up a 3-1 single to Jose Alvarez, then "The Cobra" Copriviza reached on an error by the 3B and Mr "Dirty" Hernandez made BSA history with a "say goodnight" 3-run World Series Walk-Off HR!!! It was "Dirty's" 8th HR of the playoffs setting a BSA record also.
Joe Riley took the crushing final loss allowing 4 Runs, he only allowed 11 runs all season and it was his 1st runs allowed all postseason.
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"The Cobra" Copriviza |
HR: 3
RBI: 7
OBP: .517
SLG: .759
OPS: 1.276
Playoff PR3
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