Andre Chiefs

Melrose, MA- Another wacky night at Morelli Field and this time around it wasn't the water sprinkler in leftfield. This time it was opposite side of the yard's turn as rightfield was the place to be to witness a host of bizzare occurances as well as some spectacular and then some more near spectacular plays.

On a night when every fly ball was an adventure, and by the seventh inning there were almost as many Chiefs in the Emergency Room than available in the dugout, the locals somehow held on for a Stephen King like 5-4 win over the Americans, thanks mostly to the lights out 1.1 inning pitching of closer Anthony Sullivan.

First the casualty report. Mike Burgoyne had to be carried off the field with an ankle injury after taking a bad step rounding second base in the top of the third inning. Teammate Matt DiCato joined Burgoyne a few innings later at the nearby Melrose-Wakefield Hospital when he took a ball off his right eye in a bullpen mishap.

Now to the happenings that permeated the game with most taking place in rightfield.

Things started normally enough when Chiefs' starter Sam Kasten and Americans' righty Dillon Corliss both wiggled out of some minor jams over the first two and a half innings.

The Chiefs broke through and took a 1-0 lead as the top of the third came to a conclusion in peculiar fashion. Tony Deshler got things underway with a line single to left. Corliss got Nate Witkowski to fly to Nick Herzog in rightfield, in a preview of things to come, for the first out. Tony Serino then reached when his chopper was bobbled to put runners at first and second. Burgoyne was next and he grounded out to short, forcing Serino at second, for out number two. Juan Portes followed and lined a hard grounder off Corliss that bounced into no man's land in short rightfield, scoring Deshler. As Burgoyne was rounding second he went down in a heap a few feet beyond the bag. As he lay writhing in pain, the Americans' were easily able to retrive the ball in shallow rightfield and walk over and tag him out to end the inning.

Kasten retired the Melrose side in order in the bottom of third, aided by a 4-6-3 doubleplay off the bat of Mike Addesa after Christian Rosati drew a one out walk, and Corliss did the same to the Chiefs in the top of the fourth.

Kasten recorded his second consecutive 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fourth before the Chiefs caught a big break and scored four times in the top of the fifth. Deshler drew a one out walk and Witkowski and Serino both singled to put the Chiefs up 2-0. Mike DiCato, who replaced Burgoyne in left, then reached on a fielder's choice that pushed Serino to second and Witkowski to third. Portes then lofted what appeared to be an inning ending routine fly ball to rightfield that Herzog lost in the twilight sky and went for a two run double and 4-0 Chiefs' lead. The lead went to 5-0 when Peter Copa lined a Corliss pitch into the left-center gap for a double that scored Portes. Craziness continued when Copa took off and took third as Corliss was waiting for the ball to come back to the mound. That's as far as Copa got as Jordan Pallazola flew to Herzog in rightfield to end the inning.

Perilous outfield flies, as well as a close pitch, led to a three run Americans' uprising in the bottom of the fifth inning. Kasten struck out both Kevin Kelley and Dan Cacciola for the first two outs of the inning. The count went full to Austin Masel before he walked on an extremely close pitch. Kasten then walked Tom Petry to put Americans at first and second. The shallow rightfield area was again the culprit as neither second baseman Steve Gambale or Deshler apparently saw Rosati's fly off the bat and it fell between them for an RBI single. Addesa was next and the veteran hit a fly to shallow center that Serino got a late jump on and eventually dropped as Petry raced home with the second Melrose run. John Jennings then lined Kasten's next pitch to left, scoring Rosati, to close the gap to 5-3. Kasten averted further damage when he struck out Chris Lanzilli to close the inning.

A Deshler one out single is all the Chiefs could generate against Corliss in the top of the sixth.

The Americans got the tying run in scoring position before the game was delayed for a second time in the bottom of the sixth. Herzog led off the inning with a single to center and a Kelley groundout sent him to second. With two lefthanders scheduled in succession, the Chiefs went the matchup route and opted for veteran Tim Dunphy who came out of the Chiefs' rightfield bullpen to face Cacciola and got him to dribble a ball a few feet from the plate that Pallazola pounced on and fired to first for the second out. The rightfield bleachers were once again the prime place to be when Masel sent a line shot into the rightfield corner that Deshler went full out on with a diving attempt and almost pulled off the catch of the year but the ball rolled out of his glove for a run scoring double that cut the lead to 5-4. As Sullivan was concluding his warmups down the rightfield line, DiCato was struck in the eye area and the game was put on hold for a few minutes as he was attended to. When play resumed and Sullivan took the bump, you guessed it, Copa made an outstanding and inning ending over the shoulder grab of a Petry fly down the rightfield line that had a game tying double written all over it.

The Chiefs got two men on in the top of the seventh via Serino's third single of the game and a walk to Copa before Corliss kept it a one run game when Pallazola sent Herzog back to the warning track in (where else?) rightfield to end the inning.

Pinch-hitter Andre Gaudet lined the first pitch of the Americans seventh (you guessed correctly again) to rightfield before Sullivan turned the game into his own personal stage. The former St. John's University star and California Angels product proceeded to strike out the next three batters, using a blistering fastball, to seal the win.

Kasten upped his record to 2-1 while getting the win. The Muhlenberg College righty went 5.1 innings, gave up two earned runs, six hits, and struck out three.

Corliss (1-3) went the distance, surrendered nine hits, and struck out four.

Chiefs Chatter....Portes had three RBI's in the game.....Morelli Field was the scene of last season's Game Three of the Championship Series that had to suspended when the game went past midnight and the automated sprinler system kicked in and couldn't be shut off..... It was Halloween night in the ICL as the strange happenings weren't limited to Melrose. The Bulldogs-Royals game at Trum Field was halted in top of the second inning due to power failure that sent that area of Somerville into darkness. The Bulldogs were batting when the field went black with a 1-0 count on a hitter. The game will be resumed with Somerville leading 3-1 at a time and place to be determined.....There was no report received as to the extent of the Chiefs' injuries although both players appeared to be in good spirits when they left the field.....The 17-6-1 Chiefs host the Royals at Maplewood on Wednesday at 8:15 PM......
Bruce Tillman & Ian Roberts contributed to this report for ICL Baseball