Announcement
Lexington Takes Series with 4-2 Win on Sunday
Wakefield, MA- The defending champion Lexington Blue Sox advanced to the ICL finals with a 4-2 win over the Andre Chiefs in a game played at Walsh Field in Wakefield on Sunday afternoon.
Veteran lefty Bill Cooke pitched a complete game for the Blue Sox, allowing eight hits, striking out eight and walking none as Lexington moved on to the ICL championship series for the third time in four years.
Lexington took a 1-0 off Chiefs starter and loser Keith Forbes in the top of the second inning when Matt Gedman doubled, went to third on an infield grounder and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly to center from Jeff Nolet.
The Blue Sox lead went to 2-0 in the top of the fourth inning on a Ross Curley RBI single that scored Nolet, who had reached on a fielder's choice.
The Chiefs, as they have done all season, clawed their way back to knot the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth on four consecutive singles by Andrew Hanson, Justin Crisafulli, Matt Lawlor and Paul Koslowski.
It stayed a 2-2 game until the top of the sixth inning when the Blue Sox picked up a couple of runs to re-take the lead. Nolet walked, Anthony Santos singled and Curley was hit by a Forbes pitch to load the bases. Danny Graham then drew a walk to force in Nolet and Ben Hewett followed with a RBI single to left scoring Santos to make it 4-2. Koslowski came on for Forbes and got lefties Danny Hughes swinging and Gedman on an infield grounder.
The Chiefs came up empty against Cooke in the sixth, despite a Crisafulli leadoff single, and Chris Foundas set the Sox down in the top of seventh.
Pinch hitter Paul Crisafulli led off the Chiefs seventh with a hard single to left and Matt Boleski pinch ran for him. Cooke got tough and got Mike Barbati to ground out with Boleski going to second, Brendan Pyburn to fly to left and Nate Leva to line out to shortstop Anthony Santos to end the game.
Cooke, went to 4-0 overall in 2008 with the complete game victory. Forbes, worked 5.1 innings and allowed seven hits, struck out six, walked six and hit a batter.
