Andre Chiefs

Lexington, MA- Mike DiCato tossed a six-hit shutout to lead the Chiefs past the Lexington Blue Sox 6-0 in Game One of Intercity League’s best of five Championship Series on Thursday night in Lexington. For the Chiefs it was their fourth consecutive playoff win, having taken three straight from the Testa Corp. Bombers after dropping the first game of that semi-final series. 

Blue Sox starter Tim Bryant set the Chiefs down in order in the top of the first inning when he struck out Brendan Pyburn, got Brian Macrina on a groundout and Jeff Bercume on an outfield fly. DiCato surrendered a leadoff single to Pete Frates to open the home half of the first but he was quickly erased when Ross Curley bounced into a 6-4-3 doubleplay. 

Mike Andre got things started for the Chiefs when he singled down the right field line with one out in the second. Justin Crisafulli then singled to left and rookie Dario Pizzano laced a double into the left-centerfield gap that scored Andre to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead. Bryant stranded Crisafulli and Pizzano when he got both Bob McCarthy and Hal Landers to both flyout. 

The Blue Sox had their biggest scoring threat in the bottom of the second inning. Matt McEvoy led off with a single and DiCato got the first out when Steve Gath popped to Baillargeon. Sean McElroy then singled to right and went to second on the throw attempting to get McEvoy going to third. Tom Haugh then bounced back to DiCato for the second out of the inning with runners forced to hold. Eric Poling was then hit by a pitch that loaded the bases. DiCato kept the Chiefs in the lead when he struck out Anthony Santos to end the inning. 

The Chiefs lead went to 4-0 in the top of the third inning. It started quietly enough when Pyburn grounded to Haugh at first base for the first out. Macrina then hit a sinking soft liner to Gath at short who could not come up with the ball, which was scored an error. Bercume then picked up some chalk when he drilled a double just inside the first base bag that sent Macrina to third. Baillargeon then came up big when he delivered a two RBI single to center giving the Chiefs a 3-0 lead and took second on the throw to the plate. Bryant got Andre to fly out to Frates in center for the second out of the inning before Criasfulli plated Baillargeon with a RBI single to left and 4-0 lead. 

Lexington got two more aboard (Graham single, McEvoy HBP) after two were out in the bottom of the third but DiCato ended another Sox threat with an inning ending strikeout, getting Gath swinging, to send the game to the fourth inning. 

Bryant had his strongest inning in the fourth, aided by his defense. McCarthy led off and hit a hard grounder over the third base bag but was gunned down by McEvoy trying to stretch it to a double. Bryant responed and got Landers on a pop-up and Pyburn on a grounder to end inning. 

DiCato remained tough and set the Blue Sox down in order in the bottom of the fourth including strikeouts of Haugh and Poling. 

The Chiefs increased their lead to 6-0 in the top of the fifth. Bercume dropped a perfect bunt single. Bryant got Baillargeon to line to right for the first out. With Andre at the plate, Bercume stole second and the former Merrimack captains gave the Chiefs a five run lead when Andre lined a single to left that scored Bercume. Crisafulli followed with his third straight hit, a double down the left field line that sent Andre to third. Pizzano then picked up his second hit and RBI of the night when he greeted reliever Sam Steed with another single that scored Andre with the sixth Chiefs run. 

DiCato gave up a one out single to Frates in the bottom of the fifth before Curley grounded into another 6-4-3 doubleplay. 

Landers opened the Chiefs sixth with an infield single between third and short and Pyburn promptly sacrificed him to second. Steed kept it a 6-0 lead when he got Macrina on a groundout and Bercume swinging ending the inning. 

DiCato followed two groundouts to Baillargeon by striking out Gath to end the sixth. It was the fourth straight inning that DiCato ended with a strikeout. 

Baillargeon tripled to center open the Chiefs seventh but Steed left him there when he struck out Andre and Crisafulli and got Pizzano on a grounder to Curley at third. 

McElroy led off the Sox seventh with a single to right and he was forced at second when Haugh grounded to Baillargeon. Pinch hitter Jeff Nolet then grounded out to Andre at third for the second out and DiCato ended things when he got Santos on fly to Landers in right to end the game. 

DiCato struck out five and did not issue a walk as he recorded the first playoff win of his ICL career. 

Game Two is scheduled for Lexington High School on Friday at 8:00 PM.