Andre Chiefs

Malden MA- The Chiefs used five pitchers, who combined for eleven strikeouts and a two-hitter, to turn back the Somerville Thunder 3-2 in the home opener at Maplewood Park on Wednesday night.

If you arrived late and missed the first inning, then you missed all of the scoring that the two teams would offer on this unusually cold June evening.

The first year Thunder came out of the box strong as first two hitters recorded their only hits of the night, giving them a quick 1-0 lead off starter Tim Dunphy. Former Chief Rob Caggiano led off and dropped a single in front of Mike Gedman in right. Jake Cintolo followed and promptly drove Caggiano in with a triple to right. Dunphy then struck out Doug Diaz for the first out. With the Chiefs’ infield drawn in, Western Oklahoma’s Elvis Rodriguez hit a grounder to Mike Barbati at second. Barbati fired home, but when Cintolo retreated back to third, catcher Nick Leva wheeled and fired wide of first in an effort to get Rodriguez allowing Cintolo to waltz home on the throwing error. Dunphy stopped the scoring there as he got Justin Scencabaugh (another former Chief) on a grounder and then James McConnville on a fly ball.

The Chiefs went right to work in the bottom of the inning when they scored three times against Zanif Pajaztovic but could have had more. Serino and Paul Yanakopulos started things off with back to back singles. Billy Mottram came on to pinch run for Yanakopulos, who was nursing a hip issue. 2014 MVP Johnny Welch then delivered them both with a triple to right, tying the game at two. Gedman followed and reached when Pajaztovic misplayed his bouncer back to the box with Welch holding at third. With Gedman running on the pitch, Peter Copa drove Welch home with a RBI grounder to third. Gedman never stopped running but was thrown out at third on a rare 5-3-5 doubleplay. Mike Andre was next and drove a Pajaztovic pitch into the right-centerfield gap but was erased at second trying to stretch it to a double.

That was it in the scoring department for the night despite the fact that the Chiefs had nine hits but they left seven men on base.

The Chiefs pitching assumed control from the second inning on. With a rainout on Monday, Jared Freni’s complete game no-hitter on Tuesday, and a light opening week ICL schedule, Manager Chuck Andre chose to give his staff some much needed work. They responded by retiring 20 of the last 21 hitters they faced with a fifth inning walk being the only blip.

Dunphy rebounded and worked a 1-2-3 second, Matt DiCato, who was credited with win, retired the Thunder side in order in both of the third and fourth innings, with four strikeouts. Lefty Evan Walsh worked a scoreless fifth and Mike DiCato cruised through a three up-three down sixth with two more K’s. Mitchell Clegg ended the night in style for the staff when he struck out the Somerville side in order in the seventh to chalk up the save.

In addition to the four first inning hits, two Gedman singles in the second and fifth innings, Leva’s two out single in the fourth, Mottram’s gap shot double and a Copa line single to left in the fifth, produced the other Chiefs’ hits.