The Hammond varsity baseball team are the 2009 Howard County Champions!  The county title has been won by the Golden Bears for only the 3rd time in school history and the first time since 2001.  The other county title was won by the 1991 team, the team Coach Lerner pitched for.  In a rain shortened season, the Bears record of 13-2, with one game remaining, was enough to clinch the title over very talented teams from Atholton and Marriots Ridge, both sitting at 12-4.  The Bears have outscored their opponents by nearly 100 runs over the season.  The pitching staff collectively has an ERA below 2 runs a game.  The Bears hope to continue that trend as they enter the regional playoffs.  The Bears have 1 regular season game v. Howard tomorrow and received a bye in the first round of the playoffs which begin on Friday.  The Bears are the #2 seed in the 2A South region and will play host to Patuxent of Calvert County on Monday.  Only 2 Hammond teams have ever one a regional crown, 1993 and 1991 - with the 1991 team reaching the state finals only to fall short against Northeast High School of Anne Arundel County.