Andre Chiefs

By Josh Frishberg
Lexington Blue Sox Media Intern

Medford, MA - For the second year in a row, the Intercity League All-Stars beat the Boston Park League All-Stars in the Joe Driscoll Memorial All-Star Classic. As the case was last year, batting and timely pitching helped secure an 8-3 victory for the ICL in front of an overflow crowd at Tufts University’s Huskins Field on Sunday afternoon.

The Intercity League exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the first inning, highlighted by a monster 3-run homerun from reigning Intercity League All-Star Game MVP Dan Graham (Lexington Blue Sox/Central Connecticut) and a three-run bases-clearing triple by Jeff Wojnar (Gately A’s/Babson College).

Right when he made contact, Graham thought "it was high enough. “We talked about the short porch during [batting practice]”. The wind was blowing in strong from center field and it was basically a consensus that no home runs would be hit today. Graham even admitted, “it’s the exact opposite of last year’s game” where he coincidentally enough hit a home run as well. When asked how he felt about winning the MVP for this great memorial event, he insisted that he “doesn’t play for recognition. I don’t try to prove anything. I do it for experience and to show appreciation.”

Leadoff hitter Mark Adessa (Testa Corp. Bombers/Salem State College) was fortunate enough to get on base in his first at-bat when Angus Fredenburg (Towne Club/Wesleyan University) bobbled Adessa’s hard hit grounder. Ben Hewett (Lexington Blue Sox/Rollins College) followed with a walk, which set up Graham for his 380 foot bomb to right field. Before the dust had even settled, Justin Crisafulli (Andre Chiefs/Central Missouri) hit a line drive single to left, Matt McEvoy (Watertown Reds/Holy Cross) got hit by a pitch, and Ryan Duff (Lexington Blue Sox/St. Lawrence University) singled up the middle to load the bases. Then Wojnar laced a triple down the right field line to put the Intercity League up by a score of 6-0. Wojnar scored the seventh and final run of the inning when he came home on an infield RBI grounder by Mike Andre (Andre Chiefs/Merrimack). The ICL sent ten men to the plate in the first inning.

The dominant first inning didn’t seem to phase the Boston Park League All-Stars as they scored three runs of their own in the top of the second. Marvin Malaret (Carlson Club/Cumberland College), Corey Pontes (Towne Club/Tufts University), and Tim Reinhardt (Grossman Marketing/Vassar College) all reached and scored in Boston Park’s mini-rally. Malaret scored on a wild pitch by ICL starter and eventual winning pitcher Anthony Del Prete (Testa Corp. Bombers/Suffolk), and Pontes and Reinhardt scored on a single to right field by Boston Park League MVP Stew Park (Stockyard/MIT).

Despite this combined ten run explosion by both squads in the first inning and a half, the teams combined to score just one more run over the last seven and a half innings, with it coming on a sacrifice fly by Teddy O’Reilly (Cassel Club/University of Connecticut).

Despite pitching at the familiar surroundings of Huskins Field, Boston Park League starter Michael Stefaniak of Tufts University and the Towne Club ended up being saddled with the loss.

As players were warming up prior to the game and the wind was blowing in strongly from center field, a fan yelled out from the stands to Dan Graham: “No one’s hittin’ it outta here today!” Graham just smiled.

It’s safe to say that everyone left the field smiling this day. We know that Joe Driscoll did.

Lexington, MA - Veteran lefty Paul Koslowski (Winchester, MA/Northeastern) pitched and batted the Chiefs to an exciting 7-6 win over the defending ICL champion Blue Sox in Lexington on Friday night.

Koslowski held the Blue Sox scoreless over the last 1.1 innings to pick up his first pitching win of the season. At the plate, Koslowski went two for three, including key singles in both the fifth and seventh innings.

The Chiefs had a 6-2 lead entering the bottom of the sixth before the Sox got to Chiefs starter Keith Forbes for four runs on a double by Danny Graham, a single from Ryan Duff and three walks. Koslowski came on in relief of Forbes with two outs in the sixth and allowed a two RBI single by the switch hitting Ben Hewett, with the runs charged to Forbes, before retiring the last four batters he faced over the final one and one-third innings.

The Chiefs won the game in the top of the seventh off Sox reliever Jeff Nolet. Brendan Pyburn drew a lead off walk and Nate Leva flew to left for the first out. With Pyburn running on a 3-2 pitch, Koslowski drilled a sharp single to right center pushing Pyburn to third. Justin Crisafulli followed with a grounder to McElroy at third who fired to second baseman John Lerner to force Koslowski but the relay to double up Crisafulli was late at first, allowing Pyburn to scamper home with the Chiefs seventh and final run of the night.

Forbes, worked 5.2 innings and got no decison, striking out and walking eight batters each, while allowing seven hits in a grueling 140 pitch outing.

Somerville, MA- The Chiefs used some flawless defense and stormed back from an 8-4 sixth inning deficit, scoring five unanswered runs to beat the first place Cassell Club 9-8 at Trum Field on Wednesday night. 

Righty Mike Parissi got the Chiefs side in order in the first and Cassell threatened big time to make it an early night for the Chiefs in the bottom of the inning. Teddy O’Reilly and Josh Mackey led off with singles against Chiefs starter Joe Martini. Josh Klimkiewicz then drew a full count walk to load the bases with no outs. Jeff Paquette followed and hit a chopper toward third which Mike Andre bare-handed and fired a strike to catcher Matt Lawlor to start a 5-2-3 double play. Martini escaped the jam when Andre when to his left to make another nice play, this time on a Bob McCarthy grounder, and threw out his Merrimack teammate at first by a step. 

The Chiefs responded and took a 2-0 lead in the second on walk to Matt Anderson, a single by Paul Koslowski and two out, two RBI double into the left field corner by Nate Leva. 

Martini got the Cassell side 1-2-3 in the second and the Chiefs upped their lead to 3-0 in the top of the third on consecutive doubles by Brendan Pyburn and Lawlor. 

The hard hitting Cassell Club threw up a five spot against Martini in the bottom of third inning, courtesy of six hits (Matt Sheehan, Mackey, Klimkiewicz, Paquette, Matt Rogers and James Likis) and a walk to grab a 5-3 lead. 

The Chiefs cut the margin to 5-4 in the fourth inning when Andre scored from third on a double play ball off the bat of Leva. 

Jose Pimentel replaced Martini on the mound for the Chiefs in the bottom of the inning and averted more trouble when a “strike him out, throw him out” double play ended the inning and kept the Cassell lead at one run. 

The Chiefs came empty in the top of the fifth and Cassell appeared to put the game away in the home half, scoring three runs against Pimentel to take an 8-4 lead, with the key hits being a Rogers single and an Aaron Santos double.

Connor Bishop came on in relief of Pimental and Lawlor ended a second consecutive inning by throwing out another runner (Sheehan) trying to steal. Three big runs came across for the Chiefs in the sixth as they cut the lead to 8-7. Mike Barbati, pinch hitting for Anderson who left the game an inning earlier with a sore knee, lined a single to right. Andre then bounced out forcing Barbati at second. Koslowski followed with his third straight single and Leva unloaded on a long double to left center scoring Andre to make it 8-5. Matt Boleski then grounded to first on a nice play by Klimkiewicz for the second out before Pyburn hit his third double of the night down the left field line scoring both Leva and Koslowski to make it a 8-7 contest. Lawlor grounded out to end the inning leaving Pyburn stranded at second base as the potential tying run. 

Bishop got O’Reilly to fly to center and Mackey to fly to right to start the sixth before Klimkiewicz singled and was promptly erased at second on another nice throw by Lawlor and a superb pick up tag by Pyburn. 

In the Chiefs seventh, Crisafulli led things off with a sharp single to left and Nick Dunn pinch ran. Andrew Hanson then laid down a sacrifice bunt pushing Dunn to second. Barbati then worked a full count walk to put runners on first and second with one away. Andre followed and tied the game at 8-8 with single to right that scored Dunn with Barbati going to third on the play. Koslowski then gave the Chiefs the lead when he delivered Barbati with a sacrifice fly to center.  

Foundas came on to start the seventh and stuck out Paquette and got McCarthy to ground sharply to Andre at third for two quick outs. Things got a bit interesting when consecutive walks to Rogers and Santos put the tying and winning runs on base before Foundas regained his composure and struck out Likis to end the game. 

Bishop (1-0) picked up the first win of his three year ICL career while Foundas chalked up his fifth save of the season. The Chiefs are off on Thursday and travel to Lexington on Friday night to face the 10-1-2 Blue Sox at 8:00 PM.

Wakefield, MA- In a season that has seen an unusual number of games ending in a tie, the Chiefs managed to turn the trick for the fifth time in just eighteen games, playing the Wakefield Merchants to a 4-4 standoff at Walsh Field on Sunday. The most ties the Chiefs have ever had in a season was back in 1990 when they finished with an overall record of 28-17-6 and won the ICL championship with a grueling playoff run.

The Chiefs took a 1-0 fourth inning lead when red hot Justin Crisafulli (.365) doubled to left center with two outs. Mike Andre then delivered him with a line single to right for the game’s first run. Matt Anderson followed Andre with another single to left and when Matt Lawlor singled to center scoring Andre the Chiefs had a 2-0 lead.

The Merchants got one back off Chiefs starter Keith Forbes in the bottom of the fourth on walks to Steve Langone and Jon Davison, singles by Dana D’Agostino and Mike Sorrentino, and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Matt Russo.

The Chiefs increased their lead to 4-1 in the fifth off Merchants starter Kevin Tidmarsh. Rookie Mike Barbati led off with a single and after Brendan Pyburn flew out Nate Leva clubbed a long double into the left field corner that scored Barbati from first base. Paul Koslowski then drew his 15^th walk of the year and Crisafulli reached on an infield single to load the bases for Andre, who worked the count full before drawing another walk from Tidmarsh, forcing in Leva to give the Chiefs a 4-1 cushion. Former Double A righty Pete Fisher came on for Tidmarsh in the inning and held the Chiefs scoreless the rest of the way.

The Merchants came back in the bottom of the sixth and cut the lead to 4-3 on a two out double from rookie Josh Band.

Wakefield forged the tie in the seventh off closer Chris Foundas on three walks and a two out game tying single from Kevin Johnson before he escaped the bases loaded jam to preserve the 4-4 final. Chiefs pitching issued a season high nine walks and out hit the Merchants eleven to five.