Andre Chiefs

Malden, MA- Veterans Dan Graham and Steve Gath hit back to back homers in the fourth inning, erasing a 1-0 Chiefs lead, and lifting the Lexington Blue Sox to a 8-1 win at Maplewood on Monday night.

Things started well for the Chiefs as Mike Gedman made his first start of the season and was dominant at times, striking out ten batters, along with retiring the first eight batters of the game in a row.

After Gedman worked a quick top of the first, centerfielder Mike Hart robbed Chiefs’ leadoff man Tony Serino of extra bases when he made a nice running catch of a liner in left-center. Peter Copa then singled, but the Chiefs couldn’t capitalize when Blue Sox starter Aidan Freeburg got Juan Portes to hit into a 4-6-3 doubleplay.

Gedman was impressive again in the top of the second, retiring the side on a fly to Serino, a groundout, and a strikeout.

Freeburg hit Johnny Welch with a pitch to open the Chiefs’ second. Third baseman Ross Curley made a nice play on a Gedman sacrifice bunt to throw him out at first, with Welch moving into scoring position. Freeburg then got Mike Barbati on an infielder grounder and then walked Mike Burgoyne to give the Chiefs runners on the corners with two outs. Freeburg kept the game scoreless when he struck out Danny DiMare to end the inning.

Gedman struck out Gath and Dave Ahern to begin the Blue Sox third before catcher Alex Voitik became Lexington’s first baserunner of the night when he reached on a single into the shortstop hole. Gedman stayed strong and struck out the side when he got Adie swinging.

The Chiefs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third. After rookie catcher John Prentice flew to Adie in left for the first out, Serino singled up the middle and then stole second. Copa grounded to Gath at shortstop for out number two before Portes singled to left, scoring Serino. Freeburg walked Welch but Gedman grounded out to first ending the inning.

Gedman struck out Curley leading off the fourth but the tide began to turn when Garrett Smith and Hart both singled sharply to right. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch but Gedman continued his strikeout campaign when he retired Dorian Rojas swinging for the second out. Graham, as he has done so many times in his long ICL career, turned the game on one swing of the bat when he delivered a three run shot to straightaway center, putting the Blue Sox in front 3-1. Gath followed and cranked a bomb of his own over the left-field fence bumping the lead to 4-1.

The Chiefs got two runners on base in the bottom of the fourth on a Burgoyne single and a Prentice walk. They couldn’t cut into the lead when Freeburg got Serino on a comebacker to end the threat.

The Chiefs threatened again in the bottom of the fifth but once again Freeburg turned them back empty handed. A two out laser double from Welch and a line single by Gedman put two more runners on base. Freeburg worked out of it by getting Barbati on yet another bouncer back to him.

The Blue Sox made it a 5-1 affair in the top of the sixth on a Hart single and a long RBI double to right-center by Graham.

Ryan Sonberg cranked a two out pinch hit double in the bottom of the sixth but Freeburg stranded another Chief in scoring position when Serino grounded out to Gath.

The Blue Sox added three more runs in the seventh. Gedman hit Voitik with a pitch and gave way to Evan Walsh. Adie then placed a perfect bunt single that moved Voitik to second. Nate Witkowski came on to face the right-handed hitting Curley and he moved both runners up a base with a sacrifice bunt. Consecutive singles from Smith and Hart, and an RBI grounder by Rojas, accounted for the final runs of the game.

Freeburg improved to 6-1 with the win. The RPI righty allowed seven hits and struck out two in his six innings of work. Borja Jones-Berasaluce worked a scoreless seventh for Lexington with two strikeouts.

Gedman, (0-1) took the loss despite the ten K’s. He surrendered six runs and eight hits and didn’t issue a walk in his six innings plus

The reeling Chiefs, now 17-8, will look to rebound and hault their three game losing streak when they meet the Watertown Reds at Victory Field on Wednesday at 7:45 PM. -Bruce Tillman, Bruce Hack, and Pointstreak.com