Announcement
Reading, MA- Jared Freni left runners in scoring position in four innings, including the last three frames, to keep the Bulldogs scoreless and give the Chiefs a hard fought 2-0 win at Morton Field on Sunday evening.
The game featured a fine duel between Freni and Reading right-hander Taylor Robinson.
The Chiefs got their first run in the top of the second inning on a walk to Peter Copa and singles by Paul Yanakopulos and Mike Barbati.
Freni stranded Nick Conti at third in the bottom of the second. The Reading shortstop singled and moved there on two infield grounders before Freni ended the inning with a strikeout.
The Chiefs picked up a big run in the top of the fifth inning. Nick Leva reached on an infield single but was erased on Tony Serino’s fielder’s choice. Serino moved to second on a passed ball and scored to make it 2-0 when Juan Portes delivered a sharp RBI single just inside the third base bag.
Reading threatened in the bottom of the fifth when Colin Sitarz singled and Brandon Bingel walked. Billy Cataldo moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt before Freni got out of it by getting Dante Padovani to pop up and Paul Crehan to line out to Yanakopoulos in right.
Robinson got the Chiefs in order in the top of the sixth inning and the Bulldogs took another run at Freni in the bottom of the inning. Hank Oringer drew a one out walk and Zac Talis singled. They moved to second and third on Conti’s grounder back to the mound. Freni kept it a 2-0 game when he struck out Sitarz to end the inning.
The Chiefs went 1-2-3 against Robinson again in the top the seventh and Reading threatened one more time in their last at bat. Bingel got things started with a single before Freni struck out Cataldo for the first out. Padovani then singled to left to bring the winning run to the plate. Freni escaped for a fourth time when he got Crehan to fly to Serino in center and Tommy Bounapane to pop to Barbati at second to end the game.
Robinson (2-1) took the loss despite allowing just four hits and striking out six. Freni, now a league best 7-0, surrendered five hits and struck out seven.
The Chiefs stay busy on Monday hosting the Wakefield Merchants at Malden Catholic (Maplewood) in a doubleheader starting at 6:30 PM.
