Announcement
Malden, MA- For the second Monday in row the Chiefs rode the pitching of the DiCato Brothers to a doubleheader sweep at Maplewood. Matt handled things in a 3-2 win in the opener and Mike took care of matters in the nightcap 2-1,as the Chiefs took both ends of the twi-nighter from the Melrose Americans.
Game One
The Americans jumped out to a 1-0 first inning lead when Mark Addesa walked, went to second and then third on infield grounders, and scored on Mike Cunningham’s RBI single.
The Chiefs tied the game up at 1-1 in the home half of the first inning. Melrose starter Mike Massuli experienced wildness and walked Tony Serino, Paul Yanakopoulos and Juan Portes in succession. Peter Copa then bounced into a 6-4-3 doubleplay that scored Serino. Massuli got out of his rocky start cheaply when he got Nate Witkowski to ground out to Mark Fusco at third to end the inning.
Matt DiCato held the Americans scoreless in the top of the second.
The Chiefs took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the inning courtesy of a Matt Boleski double to left that scored Mike Andre (walk) and Mike Barbati (single).
Both clubs went in order in the third inning and the Americans made it a 3-2 game in the top of the fourth when Steve Chamberland singled, moved to second on a walk, to third on a an infield grounder, and scored on a passed ball.
Both Massuli and DiCato settled in nicely over the last two and a half innings as neither team could generate any scoring to account for the 3-2 final.
DiCato went the distance in 107 pitch effort to up his record to 4-0 on the season. The right-hander surrendered six hits, struck out three, and walked three batters.
Massuli gave up just three hits, struck out a couple, but walked six.
Game Two
Just as they did in opener, the Americans jumped out to 1-0 lead against Mike DiCato in the top of the first inning. Mike Addesa led things off with a single to left and stole second. Devin Perry promptly delivered Addesa with a long double down the right-field line giving Melrose a 1-0 lead.
To follow the game one script, the Chiefs came back to tie it up at 1-1 in the bottom of the inning but could have had more. Tony Serino walked and Paul Yanakopoulos dropped a nice bunt for a single. When the throw to get Yanakopoulos at first bounced a few feet away Serino kept running and went to third. Rob DiFranco then got Juan Portes swinging for the first out. Serino was picked off third when the throw to get Yanakopoulos, who was stealing second, was cut off by Perry and he fired to Mark Fusco who applied the tag. The Chiefs did salvage a run out of the inning when Peter Copa dropped a single into right-center that scored Yanakopoulos.
DiFranco and the elder DiCato took control from there as the game stayed 1-1 until the Chiefs got the game winner after two were out in the bottom of the sixth inning. Juan Portes drew a two out walk, stole second, and went to third when Gianni Esposito’s throw sailed into center-field. Copa then delivered his second RBI of the game when he drilled a DiFranco pitch to right to score Portes and putting the Chiefs in front 2-1.
DiCato struck out the first two batters of the seventh before getting pinch hitter Mike Kalfopoulos to bounce to Copa at first to end the game.
DiCato evened his season mark at 2-2 with the complete game win. The veteran scattered six hits, walked two, and struck out a season high nine batters.
DiFranco fell to 1-3 with the loss. The Bates College righty gave up just five hits (three to Copa) and also struck out five.
The now 17-5 Chiefs return to action on Wednesday night when they travel to Victory Field in Watertown to meet the Reds at 8:00 PM.
