Announcement
Lexington, MA- Matt Karis raised his record to 4-0 on the season with complete game 4-1 win over the Chiefs in Lexington on Wednesday night. The right-hander scattered seven hits and struck out seven. Karis is now 13-0-1 in 14 career ICL decisions dating back to June 2nd of last season.
Karis retired the side in order in the top of the first and Chiefs starter Dylan Ellis escaped a major league jam in the bottom of the inning. Pete Frates and Ross Curley led the inning off with consecutive singles. With runners on the corners, Steve Gath hit a bullet at Mike Andre at third base for the first out. Ellis then struck out cleanup man Danny Graham for out number two before walking Matt McEvoy to load the bases. The southpaw got out of the inning when he got Tommy Haugh on a comebacker to retire the side.
Crisafulli was hit by a Karis pitch with two away in the second but he got Matt Anderson to bounce out to end the inning.
The Blue Sox got all of their runs in the bottom of the second. John Seed led off and reached on an error when Andre threw low to first. Chas Agrillo followed with a single to right that sent Seed to third. Jim Hughes moved Agrillo up to second with a sacrifice bunt with Seed holding at third. The Chiefs elected to intentionally walk Frates and Curley made that move backfire when he drilled a long bases clearing double into the left field corner to give the Sox a 3-0 lead. Gath followed with another single to right with Curley taking third. Graham increased the Lexington lead to 4-0 when he lofted a long sacrifice fly to right easily scoring Curley.
The Chiefs back answered with their only run of the night in the top of the third. Tony Deshler singled to left-center leading off the inning. Karis then struck out Mike Barbati and Hal Landers in succession before back to back singles by Bob McCarthy and Mike Gedman cut the Sox lead to 4-1. Karis recorded his third strikeout of the inning when he got Peter Copa swinging to end the frame as well as the scoring for the evening.
Ellis settled down nicely and allowed just two more hits, a Hughes single leading off the fourth and a Graham bunt single in the fifth, before giving way to Isaac Oakley in the 6th.
Karis pitched out of trouble in the fifth when he issued a one out walk to Barbati and Landers followed with a single. He kept the Chiefs off the board when McCarthy grounded sharply to Curley at third and Gedman flew to Graham in right.
The Chiefs threatened once again in the sixth. Copa drew a leadoff walk but was forced at second on Andre's fielder's choice. Crisafulli then lined a ground rule double to left sending Andre to third. Karis left both runners stranded when he struck out Anderson and Deshler to end the inning.
Oakley, coming off some rest following an elbow strain, made his first appearance of the season and retired both batters he faced to begin the sixth. Lefty Tim Dunphy came out of the pen to get Frates to fly deep to right to end the inning.
Karis got pinch-hitter Matt Boleski to foul out to begin the 7th before Landers followed with a single up the middle. That was as far as Landers got as Karis struck out McCarthy and got Gedman on a grounder to second to end the game.
The Chiefs run in the third was the first run that Karis (0.25 ERA) has allowed in 28 innings so far this season. The Gettysburg righty has only surrendered nine earned runs in his 93 career ICL innings, including the 2009 post season.
Ellis, who was 5-0 entering the game, suffered his first loss of the season. He allowed seven hits, three earned runs and struck out three.
The Blue Sox ,who raised their record to 11-4, are off until Friday.
The Chiefs, now 12-4-1, will send righty Mike DiCato to the mound when they return home on Thursday to meet the Mooney Dental Tanners at Tufts University at 6:00 PM.
