Andre Chiefs

On most nights when a team has ten hits, 14 base runners, and receives outstanding pitching that allows just one earned run, you could assume that the check would safely go into the win column. Such was not the case for the Chiefs on this night in the initial meeting of the season between the 2009 & 2011 championship series participants that was eventually decided by a bad hop fifth inning single.

Chiefs’ starter Mike DiCato (0-1) and Blue Sox ace Matt Karis (3-0) bobbed and weaved their way throughout the evening with both righties landing squarely on their feet after escaping some major league jams.

Karis was the first to escape in the top of the first inning, pitching out of a one out bases loaded situation. After Karis got Jeff Bercume to bounce out, Hal Landers reached on an infield error. Juan Portes and Peter Copa followed with consecutive singles before Mike Baillargeon grounded into a 6 unassisted-3 doubleplay (Steve Gath to Jason Twomley).

Ross Curley led off the Blue Sox first with single but DiCato got Justin Wright on a grounder to first, Gath to pop up and struck out Jeff Vigurs to end the inning.

Mike Andre singled to left center to start the Chiefs’ second but Karis proved once again why he has posted a 29-2 record in his last 31 decisions (both losses against the Chiefs) when he struck out the next three batters (Tim Quinn, Brendan Pyburn & Nate Witkowski) in succession to end the inning.

The Blue Sox appeared poised to take the lead in the bottom of the second. Twomley led off with a long triple to right-center but was thrown out at the plate by Nate Witkowski when he tried to score on Chris Sintetos’ infield grounder.

The Chiefs put two more runners on in the top of the third inning with Landers again reaching on an infield error and Portes drawing a walk. Karis (pictured left) got out of this one when Copa hit the hardest ball of the night, a line shot that was tracked down in deep center by Jack Laurendeau, and by striking out Baillargeon.

The Sox broke through for an unearned run against DiCato in the bottom of the third. Laurendeau flied to Landers for the first out before Curley reached on a two base throwing error by Witkowski. Consecutive singles from Wright and Gath plated Curley with the first run of the game. DiCato averted further damage when he got Vigurs to hit into a 4-6-3 (Pyburn to Baillargeon to Copa) doubleplay.

The Chiefs managed to tie things up in the top of the fourth but threatened for much more. Andre led off with his second consecutive single, a liner to right center. Quinn was next and the big catcher from Assumption drilled a single to left with Andre moving to second. Pyburn followed with a perfect bunt single that stayed fair after rolling all the way to the third base bag putting the Chiefs in business with the bases loaded with nobody out. Witkowski then hit a liner that appeared headed up the middle for two run single. Not so on this night as Wright made an outstanding grab and in stride turned it into a 4-unassisted doubleplay. The Chiefs did salvage a run out of the inning when Bercume singled to score Andre, tying the game at 1-1. Karis then got Landers to fly to left to leave two more men stranded.

DiCato worked a 1-2-3 fourth and the Chiefs left two more aboard in the top of the fifth. Copa reached on a one out infield error and Baillargeon beat out a bunt single. Karis got tough once again and struck out Andre swinging and then got Quinn to fly to deep center to end the inning.

The Blue Sox won the game in the fifth. After two were out, singles by Curley and Wright put runners on the corners. The winning run came on Gath’s bad hop single to left-center that hit the infield lip and bounced high over Baillargeon’s head, scoring Curley.

Bercume’s two out single gave the Chiefs another baserunner in the top of the sixth. Karis got tough when he had to be once again and got Landers to ground out end the inning.

DiCato retired the Sox in order again in the bottom of the sixth inning including two K’s.

The Chiefs made one more run at Karis in the top of the seventh. Portes led off with a sharp single to center but Copa grounded out, Baillargeon struck out looking and Andre grounded out to Curley to end the game.

Karis allowed ten hits, struck out eight and walked one. DiCato surrendered seven hits, struck out four and did not issue a walk. Both teams made an uncharacteristic three errors each.

Both teams are back in action on Wednesday with the Blue Sox hosting the Arlington Trojans at 8:00 PM and the Chiefs returning to Maplewood Park at Malden Catholic to meet the Mooney Dental Tanners at 7:45 PM.