The Cougars entered the 2009 baseball campaign feeling as if they had the makings of a medal-winning team, perhaps to dare to dream of gold.Well, dreams coupled with hard work, exceptional talent and that inner drive all combined last week in Brussels as Cobham reeled off five straight wins to capture the school’s first-ever ISST baseball championship with a dramatic no-hit 7-1 win over co-host ISB by Brooks Kirby.

When the proverbial dust had settled, not only had Cobham raced through the field for the title, but completed the campaign with a school record 20 triumphs and an overall mark of 20-2-2. Along the way the Cougs were unbeaten in their final 21 outings after starting the year at 1-2 and wound up with a season-ending 12 straight wins.

The tourney triumph was undoubtedly one of the most dominant performances in ISST history. Consider just a few superlatives:

♦ Kirby tossed two no-hitters, allowed just one hit all tournament and had 19 strikeouts in 15 innings.

♦ 55 runs scored in 22 innings

♦ Two mercy rule victories

♦ .398 team batting average plus 20 stolen bases

Cobham breezed through its pool by rolling to 19-1 and 9-0 victories respectively over AIS-Israel and St. John’s.The quarterfinals saw ASH go down 10-3 and then Cairo fell 10-0 in the semifinals which was particularly sweet as CAC was the only team to defeat the Cougars all year.Then it was the 7-1 win over ISB to complete what might well be considered something of a Cinderella year.

The Cougs got the ball rolling in splendid fashion in winning the top spot in their pool.Cobham opened by crushing AIS Israel 19-1 in a game shortened to three innings by the run rule.The Cougs yielded an unearned run to open the contest, but then made the Falcons pay for it royally by sending 20 men to the plate in the bottom of the first with 15 runs coming home to seal AIS’ fate early.

David Robertson was an eye-popping three-for-three in the first inning including a home run and Fredin and Nogami each added four-baggers in the rout as Garrett McAuliffe picked up the win. Cobham wrapped up first in the pool with a 9-0 no-hit whitewashing of St.John’s on Kirby’s first no-no. Mike Fredin and Brendan Minor had two hits apiece while Kirby fanned nine in his five-inning gem.

The quarterfinals saw ASH score in the top of the first, but then the Cougs gave the Trojans a taste of what Israel felt the previous day as they slammed home seven runs in the bottom of the first and Cobham was coasting. David Robertson and Kirby each had two hits with Robertson getting the win.

On to the semifinals and what had predicted would be the “championship game” as it pitted Cobham against the defending champs and the only team to beat them all season. So much for that gambit.The Cougars mercy ruled the Screaming Eagles, 10-0, in three innings with Kirby yielding just one hit for the win plus contributing a home run and three RBI.Yuki Kato had two doubles and a pair of RBI.

The final wasn’t anticlimactic, though, as Kirby tossed his second no hitter of the tourney, this time going the full seven innings.The Cougars broke open a 1-1 stand off in the fifth with a huge two-out rally which saw an error and then four consecutive hits doing the damage. Robertson, Kirby and Leo Nogami all had two hits to pace the way.Mike Fredin and Brooks Kirby were selected to the all-tournament team and Leo Nogami came away as an Honorable Mention