Andre Chiefs

Melrose, MA- Lexington capitalized on their limited opportunities, while the Chiefs didn’t, and that made the difference in Game One of the ICL’s Championship Series, a 4-2 Blue Sox win at steamy Morelli Field on Tuesday evening.

With the win, Lexington takes a 1-0 series lead in the best of five series, with the second game scheduled for Wednesday.

The Blue Sox tallied a couple of runs in both the second and third innings off Chiefs lefty Mitchell Clegg, who certainly kept the defending champions in the game and gave them the chance to come away with an opening game win. It was not to be on this night, as the Chiefs had several solid chances but ended up stranding 10 baserunners, including the tying runs in scoring position in the top of the seventh.

After a scoreless first inning, Lexington took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Veteran shortstop Steve Gath lined a 1-2 pitch to right for leadoff single. Dorian Rojas followed and hit chopper in no man’s land between the mound and third, to give the Sox two aboard with nobody out. Dave Ahern then sacrifice bunted both runners into scoring position. Catcher Alex Voitik followed and delivered the game’s biggest hit when he doubled over the third base bag, scoring Gath and Rojas, and giving Lexington a two run lead. With Voitik standing at second, Clegg retired both Kyle Adie and Ross Curley on outfield fly balls to end the inning.

The Chiefs got a run back in the top of the third off Blue Sox starter Aidan Freeburg. Tony Serino and Billy Mottram both drew walks to start the inning. Freeburg got Juan Portes on an infield popup for a huge first out. The Blue Sox looked to be getting out of the inning unscathed when Johnny Welch hit a hard grounder right at Curley at third. Curley fired to Garrett Smith at second to force Mottram for the second out, but when Smith’s relay to first to double up Welch skipped away, Serino scampered across the plate with the unearned run.

The Blue Sox answered and pushed two runs across in the bottom of the third to increase their lead to 4-1. Smith got things started when he worked a full count walk to open the inning, and when Mike Hart singled to right, the Blue Sox had their first two men on base for the second straight inning. Dan Graham then drilled a single to right, scoring Smith, and sending Hart to third to make it 3-1. Gath was next and plated Hart with a sacrifice fly to right, to open the lead to 4-1.

Clegg and Freeburg both pitched a scoreless fourth inning before the Chiefs cut a run off the lead in the top of the fifth but missed on a big opportunity for more. Nick Leva worked a leadoff walk and was then forced at second on a Serino grounder. Mottram sent Serino to second with a single to right before Freeburg walked Portes with the count full to load the bases. Freeburg then issued his second straight full count walk to Welch, forcing in Serino, to make it a 4-2 game. Freeburg exited in favor of Jeff Blout who got the Blue Sox out of the jam by striking out Gedman swinging and then getting Copa on a grounder to Gath at shortstop.

Clegg retired Lexington in order in the bottom of the fifth.

Mike Andre led off the Chiefs’ sixth with a single up the middle. Blout kept it a two run lead when Barbati flew to center, pinch-hitter Ryan Sonberg struck out, and Serino grounded out.

In the bottom of the sixth, Clegg got Rojas to flyout and struck out Ahern, before Voitik reached on a throwing error by Welch. The game went to the seventh when Clegg struck out Adie swinging.

Closer Chris Law came on to start the seventh for Lexington and retired Mottram on a grounder for the first out. Law then walked Portes on a 3-1 pitch with Welch coming to the plate. Welch put a charge in a Law pitch and drove a liner that Josue Feliciano, who was inserted as defensive replacement to start the inning, ran down on the warning track in straightaway center for the second out. Down to their last out of the night, Gedman followed and came about five feet short of tying things up when he drilled a long double off the fence in center, sending Portes to third. Copa, who had two of the Chiefs’ hits in the game, went to 2-2 on the count before he popped up to Gath in short left to end the game.

Freeburg got the win and allowed four hits, but walked five, in his 4.1 innings of work.

Clegg, who retired seven of the last eight batters he faced, gave up seven hits, struck out five, and walked just one.

Game Two of the series will be played at Morelli Field on Wednesday at 8:00 PM.
Bruce Tillman, Anthony Greco & Bruce Hack (Pointstreak.com) contributed to the Game 1 coverage.