Andre Chiefs

By Josh Frishberg
Lexington Blue Sox Media Intern

Medford, MA - For the second year in a row, the Intercity League All-Stars beat the Boston Park League All-Stars in the Joe Driscoll Memorial All-Star Classic. As the case was last year, batting and timely pitching helped secure an 8-3 victory for the ICL in front of an overflow crowd at Tufts University’s Huskins Field on Sunday afternoon.

The Intercity League exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the first inning, highlighted by a monster 3-run homerun from reigning Intercity League All-Star Game MVP Dan Graham (Lexington Blue Sox/Central Connecticut) and a three-run bases-clearing triple by Jeff Wojnar (Gately A’s/Babson College).

Right when he made contact, Graham thought "it was high enough. “We talked about the short porch during [batting practice]”. The wind was blowing in strong from center field and it was basically a consensus that no home runs would be hit today. Graham even admitted, “it’s the exact opposite of last year’s game” where he coincidentally enough hit a home run as well. When asked how he felt about winning the MVP for this great memorial event, he insisted that he “doesn’t play for recognition. I don’t try to prove anything. I do it for experience and to show appreciation.”

Leadoff hitter Mark Adessa (Testa Corp. Bombers/Salem State College) was fortunate enough to get on base in his first at-bat when Angus Fredenburg (Towne Club/Wesleyan University) bobbled Adessa’s hard hit grounder. Ben Hewett (Lexington Blue Sox/Rollins College) followed with a walk, which set up Graham for his 380 foot bomb to right field. Before the dust had even settled, Justin Crisafulli (Andre Chiefs/Central Missouri) hit a line drive single to left, Matt McEvoy (Watertown Reds/Holy Cross) got hit by a pitch, and Ryan Duff (Lexington Blue Sox/St. Lawrence University) singled up the middle to load the bases. Then Wojnar laced a triple down the right field line to put the Intercity League up by a score of 6-0. Wojnar scored the seventh and final run of the inning when he came home on an infield RBI grounder by Mike Andre (Andre Chiefs/Merrimack). The ICL sent ten men to the plate in the first inning.

The dominant first inning didn’t seem to phase the Boston Park League All-Stars as they scored three runs of their own in the top of the second. Marvin Malaret (Carlson Club/Cumberland College), Corey Pontes (Towne Club/Tufts University), and Tim Reinhardt (Grossman Marketing/Vassar College) all reached and scored in Boston Park’s mini-rally. Malaret scored on a wild pitch by ICL starter and eventual winning pitcher Anthony Del Prete (Testa Corp. Bombers/Suffolk), and Pontes and Reinhardt scored on a single to right field by Boston Park League MVP Stew Park (Stockyard/MIT).

Despite this combined ten run explosion by both squads in the first inning and a half, the teams combined to score just one more run over the last seven and a half innings, with it coming on a sacrifice fly by Teddy O’Reilly (Cassel Club/University of Connecticut).

Despite pitching at the familiar surroundings of Huskins Field, Boston Park League starter Michael Stefaniak of Tufts University and the Towne Club ended up being saddled with the loss.

As players were warming up prior to the game and the wind was blowing in strongly from center field, a fan yelled out from the stands to Dan Graham: “No one’s hittin’ it outta here today!” Graham just smiled.

It’s safe to say that everyone left the field smiling this day. We know that Joe Driscoll did.