Andre Chiefs

Beverly, MA- Mike DiCato picked up his fourth win of the year and his mates erased a 2-0 fourth inning Reding lead when the Chiefs ripped out a dozen hits on the way to beating the Bulldogs 7-2 at Endicott College on Tuesday night.

With the win, the Chiefs clinched a spot in the 2015 ICL playoffs as well as securing the 50th winning season for the franchise in 52 seasons. 

The Bulldogs picked up the only runs they would get off DiCato when they took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third on a Mike Taylor double and Bill Cataldo single.

The Chiefs came right back with two runs of their own to knot the score at two in the top of the fourth off Bulldogs’ starter Jack Burke. Mike Burgoyne and reached on an error and Juan Portes walked. Mike Gedman then singled to score Burgoyne. Burke struck out Peter Copa for the first out before Mike Andre singled to center to load the bases. Mike Barbati’s RBI grounder to short forced Andre at second but brought Portes across with the tying run. Burke kept it a tie game when he got Nate Witkowski to fly to left with two runners aboard to end the inning.

Cody Hall led off the Reading fourth with a single but rookie catcher John Prentice threw him out attempting to steal second. DiCato got Taylor to fly out and Hayes to ground to Witkowski to move the game to the fifth.

Neither team could get anything going in the inning and the Chiefs took a 4-2 lead in the top of the sixth. After Gedman flew to Hartwell on the warning track in deep center for the first out, four consecutive singles from Copa, Andre, Barbati, and Witkowski, along with a wild pitch, gave the Chiefs the two run lead.

The Chiefs added three more runs in the top of the seventh. Burgoyne reached on an infield single, Portes singled, and Gedman drilled a double to right-center, scoring Burgoyne, to make it a 5-2 game. Reliever Zac Levine struck out Copa for the first out before Ryan Sonberg drilled a double into the left-centerfield gap, scoring Portes and Gedman, bumping the lead to 7-2.

DiCato allowed a one out single to John Hayes in the seventh. Portes then turned in the defensive play of the night when he went behind the bag at third to grab Jordan Roper’s high chopper and while falling into foul territory, threw him out at first. DiCato got Cam Farnham to pop up to Witkowski to end the game.

With the complete game effort, DiCato goes to 4-1 on the year. The veteran righty struck out five and scattered eight hits.

The Chiefs are back in action on Wednesday night when they host the Somerville Thunder at Maplewood/Malden Catholic at 8:15 PM. Bruce Tillman for www.andrechiefs.com