Andre Chiefs

Malden, MA- Southpaw Mitchell Clegg was dominant from start to finish, taking a perfect game into the sixth and allowing just one hit, when the Chiefs shutout the Watertown Reds 4-0 at Maplewood on Monday night. Clegg faced the minimum 21 batters on the night as both of the Reds' two baserunners were erased on inning ending doubleplays.

Clegg and fellow lefty Aric Dama, who was nearly as good for four innings, hooked up in a sparkling pitcher's duel until the Chiefs broke through and scored a couple of runs in the fifth inning.

While Clegg was mowing down the Reds, the Chiefs couldn't take adavatage of a pretty decent scoring chance in the bottom of the second. Ryan Sonberg drew a one out walk and Billy Mottram moved him to third with a ground rule double down the leftfield line. Dama got tough and registered two inning ending strikeouts to keep the scoreboard at all zeros.

The game stayed scoreless for the first four and a half innings before the Chiefs went the small ball route and finally moved in front in the bottom of the fifth. Gambale got things started with a line single to center. Witkowski then dropped a sacrifice bunt, and when Gambale beat third baseman Justin Forman's throw to second, the Chiefs were in business with two on and no outs. Tony Serino followed and placed a perfect bunt between the mound and third that went for a single to load the bases. Dama stayed tough and got the first out when Tony Deshler grounded to shortstop Will Brennan who fired home to force Mottram for the first out. The Chiefs then caught a break when Dama threw a wild 2-0 pitch to the backstop, with Juan Portes at the plate, that allowed Witkowski to slide across with the first run. Portes was then intentionally walked to re-load the bases before Dama hit Peter Copa with a pitch to force in Serino to make it 2-0. Dama was lifted and gave way to Chris Hendrix who kept it a two run game by recording two more inning ending strikeouts.

Clegg gave up his only hit when Jon Barber led off the top of the sixth with an opposite field pop-up down the rightfield line that Copa got a glove on, in an over the shoulder effort, but couldn't reel in. Steve Tramontozzi then lined to Serino in center for the first out before Matt Consiglio grounded into a 6-4-3 doubleplay that retired the side.

The Chiefs gave Clegg a little breathing room in the bottom of the sixth. Mottram led off with a single off Consiglio's glove at second. With Mottram running on the pitch, Gambale hit a high chopper over Forman's head at third to put runners on the corners. Hendrix then hit Witkowski with a pitch that loaded the bases. After a strikeout, Tony Deshler singled to score Mottram to make it 3-0. Portes followed with a line single to left to increase the lead to 4-0 with Tramontozzi firing home to throw out Witkowski at the plate for the second out of the inning. Hendrix sent the game to the seventh when he retired Copa on a liner to left.

The Reds got their second baserunner of the night when Clegg walked Kyle LaVigne to open the seventh. Mac Jacobson then bounced to Witkowski, forcing LaVigne at second, for the first out. With Sean Callahan-Montague representing the Reds' twenty-first batter of the night, the Chiefs turned their second straight 6-4-3 inning ending doubleplay that sealed the win.

Clegg, now 5-3, threw 93 pitches and struck out four. Dama took the loss and fell to 5-2. He allowed two runs and four hits in 4.1 innings, struck out three, and walked four. Hendrix worked 1.2 innings, was charged with two runs, and also allowed four hits.

Chiefs Chatter.....Clegg threw a no-hitter against the Reds on July 29, 2015 at Victory Field.....The 19-6-1 Chiefs travel to Lexington High to meet the Blue Sox on Tuesday at 8:00 PM.....Sunday's game that was rained out in Wakefield will be made up on Thursday night at Maplewood at 8:00 PM...... Courtesy of Steve Hartwell