Andre Chiefs

Melrose, MA- Lefty Tim Woods spun six innings of four hit baseball, and his mates took advantage of some sloppy Chiefs defense, when the Reading Bulldogs took a 6-1 Game Four win at Morelli Field on Wednesday night.

The best of five series is now tied at 2-2 and sets up a winner take all game scheduled at Maplewood Park (Malden Catholic) on Thursday night at 8:00 PM.

The Chiefs received a solid pitching effort from veteran Tim Dunphy, who certainly pitched well enough to get a win.

The Bulldogs picked up an unearned run in the top of the first inning. Hank Oringer drew a leadoff walk and E.J. Martinez and Zac Talis were both retired on outfield fly balls for the first two outs of the game. Kyle Devin then singled, to put runners on the corners, before Dunphy's strikeout of Steve Busby got past catcher Jordan Pallazola and allowed Oringer to score as Busby reached first.

The Chiefs got a leadoff single from Pallazola in the second but Woods struck out Ryan Sonberg and then retired Steve Gambale on liner to center. Mike Burgoyne, in his return to the lineup, then drew a two out walk that sent Pallazola to second. Woods stranded both runners when he struck out Nate Witkowski to end the inning.

Dunphy set the Bulldogs down quietly in the bottom of the third on three ground balls around a one out single by Mike DeDonato.

The Chiefs tied the game up in the top of the third but couldn't pull ahead. Tony Deshler got things underway with a one out single and Juan Portes drew a walk. Peter Copa followed with an RBI single up the middle, to score Deshler, and tie the game at one. Woods kept it that way when he struck out Pallazola and Sonberg in succession.

Dunphy retired the Reading side in order in the bottom of the third and Woods did the same to the Chiefs in the top of the fourth.

The Chiefs got another runner in scoring position in the top of the fifth when Portes doubled into the right-centerfield gap with two outs. Woods frustrated the Chiefs once again when he got Copa on a ground ball to DeDonato at second base to retire the side.

Dunphy pitched his way out of a jam in the bottom of the fifth that kept the Chiefs even. Chris Bosco led off with a line single to left and Oringer bunted him to second. Dunphy struck out Martinez for the second out, and with first base open, he gave Talis nothing to hit and walked him on four pitches. The left-handed hitting Devin was next and Dunphy retired him on a chopper to Copa at first that sent game to the sixth inning.

The Chiefs once again got the go ahead run in scoring position but were turned back by Woods for the fourth time in five innings. Pallazola drew a leadoff walk and was sacrificed to second by Mike Barbati, who pinch hit for Sonberg. The Chiefs came up empty when Gambale popped up and Woods got Burgoyne to ground out.

The Bulldogs capitalized on some charitable defense to score five times and take a 6-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth. Dunphy got Busby on a grounder for the first out before Mike Taylor reached on an error when Gamable misplayed his flare to the right side. Johnny Hayes followed with a single and the Chiefs missed an opportunity to get out of the inning unscathed when the diving Gambale couldn't come up with a potential doubleplay ball off the bat of DeDonato. Taylor scored on the play to make it 2-1, and when the throw from the outfield went to third, Portes cut it tried to get DeDonato going to second but threw wide of the bag and into rightfield allowing Hayes to score the third run. Three consecutive singles from Bosco, Oringer, and Martinez followed that lifted the lead to five runs. With two runners in scoring position, Dunphy struck out Talis and Devin to finally retire the side.

Closer Steve Hueston gave up a single to Witkowski to begin the seventh but then got Serino to hit into a doubleplay, and then Deshler on a grounder to short, to end the game.

The winner of Thursday's game will advance to the Championship Series on Sunday against Lexington. The #3 Blue Sox eliminated the #2 Watertown Reds with a 8-4 victory in Lexington to take that series 3-1.
Ian Roberts & Anthony Zeolie for Intercity League Baseball
Photography by Steve Hartwell
Boxscore at www.intercityleaguebaseball.com