Andre Chiefs

Melrose, MA- Mitchell Clegg survived a rocky first inning, then proceeded to throw six shutout innings of one hit baseball, to pitch the Chiefs to a 3-2 come from behind second round playoff win over the Watertown Reds on Thursday night at Morelli Field. On a night when offense was at premium, Johnny Welch supplied most of it for the Chiefs with two solo homers.

Coupled with Wednesday’s 13-1 first round win over the Arlington Trojans, the Chiefs now move on to meet the Blue Sox in Lexington on Friday night at 8:00 PM. The winner of that game will automatically advance to the ICL’s best of five championship series next week while the loser will have to win one more game to advance to the big dance on Monday night.

Former Baltimore Orioles’ minor league righty Juan Guzman was lights out for the Reds in the top of the first inning when he struck out Tony Serino, Juan Portes, and Welch, in succession to begin the game.

The Reds went right to work against Clegg in the bottom of the inning. Kyle LaVigne got things started when he beat out a bunt single down the third base line. Clegg appeared to have the fleet leadoff hitter picked off first, but Peter Copa’s throw to second was low and skipped into left, allowing LaVigne to go to third on the error. It was runners on the corners with nobody out for the Reds when the Chiefs and Clegg traded a couple of outs for a run when Sean Callahan bounced into 6-4-3 doubleplay with LaVigne scoring. The doubleplay proved to be mammoth when Dan Chaisson crushed a fastball over the inner half of the plate and sent it well over the leftfield wall for a 2-0 Watertown lead. Steve Rogers kept the Reds’ momentum going when he followed and drilled a gap double but Clegg averted more damage when he struck out Pete Burgio to end the inning.

The Chiefs got their bats on the ball in the top of the second but couldn’t break through against Guzman. Mike Gedman and Mike Andre both lined out to center and Copa lined to second.

Clegg rebounded with a nice 1-2-3 bottom of the second and both he and Guzman dominated the third inning.

The Chiefs cut the lead in half to 2-1 in the top of the fourth when Welch led off the inning with a long homer to right-center. Guzman kept the Reds’ in front when he retired the next three batters in order to end the inning.

The Reds threatened big time to pad their lead in the bottom of the fourth. Rogers led off the frame with his second double of the game. Burgio then drew a walk before Clegg got a big out when he retired Matt Bishop on a towering pop up to Nate Witkowski at shortstop. The Chiefs turned their second doubleplay of the night to escape the jam when Will Brennan bounced into a 1-6-3 twin killing.

In the Chiefs’ fifth, Guzman issued a leadoff walk to Mike Barbati. Billy Mottram pinch hit for Witkowski, but Guzman struck him out swinging for the first out. Ryan Sonberg then came off the bench, as the second pinch hitter of the inning, and came to the plate for Nick Leva. Guzman retired Sonberg for the second out when he got him to fly to Mac Jacobson in right. Serino drew the second walk of the inning, but it remained a 2-1 game when Portes grounded out to close the inning.

Clegg cruised through an easy bottom of the fifth and the Chiefs pulled even at 2-2 in the top of the sixth on Welch’s line drive laser homer to left.

Clegg retired the Reds’ side in order again in the bottom of the sixth.

In the Chiefs’ seventh, Mottram got things going when a long double to right-center. Jhonneris Mendez then came out of the bullpen to replace Guzman. Rookie catcher John Prentice, who went behind the plate after Sonberg hit for Leva in the fifth, dropped a perfect rolling bunt that that stayed fair all the way to the third base bag. With runners on the corners with no outs, the Reds played the infield at doubleplay depth, and Serino plated Mottram with the game winner with a grounder to shortstop. The Chiefs threatened for more when Portes’ double to left-center sent Serino to third. The Reds intentionally walked Welch to load the bases and that strategy paid off when Mendez struck out Gedman swinging, and then got Copa on an infield chopper, to keep it a 3-2 Chiefs lead.

Clegg struck out Burgio for the first out of the seventh before walking Liam O’Connor on a 3-2 pitch to put the tying run aboard. Clegg ended things when he got Brennan to fly to left and then struck out pinch hiiter Ryan Pocock swinging to end the game.

Clegg struck out four and allowed only Rogers’ fourth inning double over the last six innings.

Guzman took the loss. He allowed five hits in six plus innings and struck out ten batters. Mendez allowed two hits and struck out one in the seventh.

Playoff Notebook….For Welch it was his 12th and 13th career homers for the Chiefs….The win was the second big playoff victory for Clegg at Morelli Field. The former Washington Nationals' left-hander threw a complete game, eight inning win, in Game Three of last year’s championship series against the Blue Sox that propelled the Chiefs to another ICL crown in an eventual five game series…..Thursday’s Chiefs’ win, along the Blue Sox 9-2 victory over the Reading Bulldogs, guaranteed that the Chiefs or Blue Sox will be at least one of the participants in the ICL’s championship series for the ninth straight season…Along with Friday’s Chiefs at Blue Sox tilt, the Bulldogs will host the Wakefield Merchants at Morelli Field at 8:00 PM and the Arlington Trojans will visit the Reds at Victory Field at 7:30 PM. The losers of those games will be eliminated while the winners will meet in an elimination game on Sunday……Anthony Greco/Stats from Pointstreak,com