Andre Chiefs

Medford, MA- The mastery of Matt Karis combined with some pretty lousy defense led to a 5-1 win for the Lexington Blue Sox at Tufts University on Thursday night.

Chiefs starter Tim Dunphy was the principal victim of the non-support, as his mates made a season high four errors behind him. The miscues led to all four runs charged to him being unearned.

After a scoreless first inning the Chiefs handed the Blue Sox a 2-0 lead in the second. Dan Graham led off and reached on an error by Peter Copa at second. Former Suffolk star Nick Martinho drew a full count walk and Matt McEvoy moved both runners up to second and third with a sacrifice bunt. With the Chiefs infield drawn in, Dunphy got Eric Poling to line out to Tony Deshler at shortstop for the second out. Deshler then kicked Ryan Duff’s apparent inning ending grounder allowing Graham to score the first run. Eckerd’s Dan Capra followed with a single to right scoring Martinho with run number two. Dunphy ended the inning when he got Pete Frates to ground to Copa.

Mike Gedman started the Chiefs second with a single but was quickly erased when Justin Crisafulli hit into a 6-4-3 doubleplay.

The only baserunner either Dunphy or Karis would allow over the next two innings would be a Copa two out single in the bottom of the fourth.

The Blue Sox took advantage of more sloppy defense and doubled their lead to 4-0 in the top of the fifth inning. After Duff grounded out trouble began when Deshler threw Capra’s routine grounder wide of first. Frates followed with a single that sent Capra to third. Ross Curley was next and he hit a RBI sacrifice fly to rightfield, that Gedman misplayed for an error. The lead went to 4-0 on Graham’s fielder’s choice.

Matt Anderson drew a two out walk in the bottom of the fifth but Karis sent the game into the sixth when he got rookie pinch-hitter Paul Yanakopulos, who was hitting for Deshler, to line out to Duff at shortstop.

Jeff DeCarlo (photo left) came on for Dunphy and worked a scoreless sixth and the Chiefs wasted a double from Tim Dempsey in the bottom of the inning.

The Sox got their fifth run in the seventh off Pat O’Donnell. After striking out Frates to start the inning, Curley doubled and Hewett singled. Tufts teammate Kevin Gilchrist came on to face Graham. Curley scored when the Chiefs did not convert the back end of a 6-4-3 doubleplay.

The Chiefs averted the shutout in the bottom of the seventh when Mike Andre doubled home Gedman who had singled.

Dunphy worked five innings and allowed just two hits while striking out a couple.Karis, now 5-0, scattered six hits and struck out four. The righty has allowed just two runs in 35.0 innings this season.

Both the Chiefs and Blue Sox are back in action on Friday. The Chiefs travel to Ferullo Field in Woburn to meet the Mooney Tanners and the Sox host the Testa Corp. Bombers in Lexington. Both games start at 8:00 PM.