Andre Chiefs

Arlington, MA- Lefty Tim Dunphy chalked up his ICL best seventh win of the season when the Chiefs turned back the Arlington Trojans 5-1 at Summer Street Field on Friday night.

Dunphy once again was in control from start to finish, scattering eight hits, and getting stronger as the game went on.

The Chiefs, despite stranding a plethora of runners, eleven to be exact, hit the ball hard all evening long.

The Chiefs threatened but could not score in the top of the first inning. Tony Serino drew a walk from Arlington starter Matt Lounsbury and Juan Portes followed and grounded into a hard hit 6-4-3 double play. Johnny Welch and Mike Gedman then had consecutive singles before Peter Copa hit a seed liner right at shortstop Derek Pizarro to end the inning.

Dunphy set the Trojans down in the bottom of the first and the Chiefs took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second. Mike Andre led things off and drilled a two strike Lounsbury pitch off the base of the fence in right for a double. Paul Yanakopoulos followed with a single to center and Mike Barbati doubled to center, scoring both Andre and Yanakopoulos. After Mike Burgoyne popped up, the Chiefs threatened for more when Serino beat out an infield hit and Portes walked to load the bases. Lounsbury got the dangerous Welch to pop up to end the inning.

The Trojans came right back to make it a 2-1 game in the bottom of the second. Dan Csaplar singled, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Matt Cooney, and scored on a bomb double to straightaway center from Seth Coiley.

The Chiefs took a 3-1 lead in the top of the third. After Mike Gedman bounced out, Copa singled and moved to third on Andre’s line single down the rightfield line. Yanakopoulos then delivered Copa with a long double to left. Lounsbury kept it a 3-1 affair when he got Barbati to pop out and Burgoyne to groundout to end the inning.

It stayed 3-1 until the Chiefs gave Dunphy a little more breathing room in the top of the fifth inning. Gedman drew a walk and Copa reached on a throwing error to put runners on second and third with nobody out. Andre made it 4-1 when he hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Gedman. Barbati then drilled a single to right-center, scoring Copa, to make it a 5-1 game and close out the scoring for the night.

Dunphy shutdown the Trojans, with some bigtime help from Serino, who was outstanding in centerfield, over the final three innings, to give the Chiefs their 17th win of the season.

Dunphy, now 7-1, struck out three and didn’t walk a batter.

Chiefs Chatter…. A couple of milestones were reached on Friday. Mike Andre tied Steve Daley for sixth place on the Chiefs’ all-time hit list when he recorded his 273rd hit with his third inning single. Andre now trails only Chiefs’ legends Justin Crisafulli, Mike Langston, Mike Barnes, Dave Clivio and Warren Olson in that category. The veteran also needs only three more RBI’s to pass Clivio and move into sixth place all-time in that department…..In addition, Tim Dunphy tied Joey Santagate for fifth place on the career win list with 28. He now trails only Dave Marsters, Ari Koufos, Jon Drew and present staff mate Jared Freni…..Tony Serino was immense in center for the Chiefs. The UMass-Amherst/Malden Catholic product had six putouts, which included tracking down a Matt Cooney bomb with two runners on to end the Arlington sixth inning….The Chiefs are off until Monday night when they host the Wakefield Merchants at Maplewood at 8:00 PM…..On Tuesday, the Chiefs travel to Ferullo Field in Woburn to meet the Tanners….
--Bruce Tillman