Andre Chiefs

Malden, MA- Zach Kirby fired a neat one-hitter, striking out 11, when the Chiefs rolled to their second straight shutout win, blanking the Melrose Americans 10-0 on Monday night at Maplewood.

Kirby followed Saturday’s record setting 20 strikeout one-hitter from Evan Walsh with a jewel of his own. The only hit he allowed was a single to Elias Varinos leading off the game.

Ben Waldrip had a mammoth game at the plate. The Chiefs’ cleanup man went three for three including a homer, a double, and five RBI’s.

Waldrip, a Colorado Rockies 10th Round selection out of Jacksonville State in 2012, provided the Chiefs with a quick 2-0 lead when a he drilled a two-run homer to center with two outs in the bottom of the first inning.

The lead went to 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth on singles from Waldrip and Nate Witkowski, a two RBI double from Manny Cabral, and an RBI ground out from Mike Burgoyne.

The Chiefs put the game away with three more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Doubles from Matt Nuzzo, Witkowski and Cabral, sandwiched around a Waldrip sacrifice fly, upped the lead to 8-0.

Waldrip was at it again in the home half of the sixth when his two RBI double scored Nick Leva, who was hit by a pitch, and pinch-hitter Gino DeSimone, who singled, to make it 10-0.

Kirby was on cruise control all night long, retiring the side in order in the second, third and sixth innings. The Americans had only three baserunners over the final six frames, all via the base on balls route.

Former Colby-Sawyer standout Chris Mitchell (1-2) worked into the fifth for the Americans before giving way to Matt Lessard and then Nick Colluci in sixth.

Chiefs Chatter…. Kirby raised his record to 2-1 on the season. The Rochester, MA product has now struck out 32 batters in 21 innings while allowing just 11 hits. With Monday’s effort he lowered his ERA to 1.67 on the year. The big right-hander pitched in both the Frontier and Pecos Independent League’s since graduating from Framingham State in 2016…. Over the last two games, the Walsh-Kirby combo has allowed just two hits while striking out 31 batters in 14 innings…..The Chiefs pitching staff has now struck out an ICL leading 84 batters in only 56 innings so far this season….The staff also owns a league best 2.00 ERA over the first eight games….. Manny Cabral had his best offensive night at the plate so far with a couple of doubles and three RBI’s. Cabral was the captain of the 2012 Northern Essex CC World Series team before moving on to appear in 26 games for Texas Southern in 2013….. The now 6-2 Chiefs will meet the Malden Maddogs on Tuesday night in a 7:45 PM start at Maplewood. Lefty Tim Dunphy (2-0, 1.75 ERA) is expected to draw the starting nod…