Andre Chiefs

Medford, MA- Mike DiCato tossed a complete game three-hitter to get the Chiefs past the Mooney Dental Tanners 4-1 at Tufts University on Monday evening. It was the Chiefs third straight over the Woburn based club having swept a doubleheader on Sunday 12-4 and 9-2. 

DiCato was in control from start to finish. He took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and lost his shutout bid with two outs in the seventh on a wind blown infield pop-up single. 

Wind was once again a factor at Tufts on this night, knocking down ball after ball and causing havoc with routine fly balls. 

The Chiefs provided DiCato with single tallies in each of the first three innings. After DiCato had an easy 1-2-3 first inning, red hot Hal Landers drew a leadoff walk for the Chiefs but Tanners starter Joe Harvey got Brendan Pyburn swinging. Landers then stole second before Jeff Bercume flew out deep to right-center for the second out. Cleanup man Justin Crisafulli then came through with a RBI single to center that scored Landers. 

DiCato set the Tanners side down in order again in the second and the Chiefs added another run in the bottom on the inning on a Landers RBI single that scored Bob McCarthy who had walked. 

A one out walk was all DiCato would yield in the third and the Chiefs made it a 3-0 game in the home half of the inning when Crisafulli picked up his second RBI on infield ground out. 

DiCato worked another 1-2-3 inning and Harvey kept the Chiefs off the board in fourth despite a leadoff single from Mike Andre. 

The no-hit bid ended in the top of the fifth when Phil Recco drilled a clean line drive single to right-center.  

DiCato walked Jon Smart to start the Tanners sixth but he was erased when Matt Ruane bounced into a 6-4-3 doubleplay. 

The Chiefs added their fourth run in the bottom of the sixth. JP Pollard reached on throwing error and Andre sacrificed him to third. McCarthy then drew a walk and was thrown out trying to steal second with Pollard scoring on the play. 

DiCato took his one hitter and shutout into the seventh and things got a little interesting courtesy of a little shoddy defense and a whole lot of wind. Joe Smith led off and reached on an error when Pyburn bobbled his grounder. DiCato got Keegan DeNapoli looking for the first out and Andre made a nice play charging a Recco slow grounder and throwing him out at first for out number two. Bob Wronski then hit a towering pop-up that appeared would end the game and give DiCato the shutout. The wind took over and the ball fell between second baseman Mike Barbati and DiCato near the mound and was scored a base hit. Smith, running with two outs, scored on the play as the Tanners averted the shutout. Pinch-hitter Ryan Doyle then singled to right and when DiCato walked Alex Stotik to load the bases the Tanners suddenly had the go ahead run at the plate in Brian Svenson. DiCato got Svenson down in the count 0-2  and got him to hit a one hopper at Andre to end the game. 

Harvey pitched very well for Mooney allowing just four hits (Landers, Pyburn, Andre & Crisafulli). DiCato struck out six and raised his record to 4-2. 

Ryan McNeill will get the start when the Chiefs travel to East Boston Stadium on Tuesday at 8:00 PM to face the Bombers.