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LEXINGTON EVENS SERIES WITH 2-0 WIN, DECIDING GAME FIVE ON SUNDAY AT 5:00 PM
Malden, MA - The 2012 Intercity League season has come down to one game as the Lexington Blue Sox tied the finals at 2-2 with a 2-0 win over the Andre Chiefs at Maplewood Field at Malden Catholic Friday night.
Steve Bodnar, 2-0, pitched a complete game six hitter as he shut down the Chiefs offense. He got 16 ground ball outs and his infielders turned three double plays in the first four innings. In the first inning with Chief runners on first and third Bodnar induced Jeff Bercume to hit into a 6-3 double play. Mike Andre led off the second with single but was erased on a 5-4-3 double play. After a 1-2-3 third inning, all on ground balls, the Blue Sox infield turned its third double play on another ground ball by Bercume, this time it was 4-6-3.
Jason Twomley powered the Lexington offense hitting a towering home run to right center to lead off the third with his first home of the playoffs.
The Blue Sox added an insurance run in the seventh. With one out Dave Ahern singled to the shortstop hole. Jeff Vigurs followed with a perfect hit-and-run single through the left side to put runners on the corners. Vigurs stole second to move into scoring position and put Sox runners at second and third with one out. Twomley delivered again this time with a sacrifice fly to center that scored Ahern and gave Lexington a 2-0 lead.
The Chiefs did not go quietly in the seventh. Bercume had a leadoff single to left and was replaced by pinch runner Rob Caggiano. Andre singled to center, his second hit of the game, and he was replaced by Mike Barbati. With no outs Ed Ovalle attempted to move the runners over by bunting, but hit it right back to the pitcher and Bodnar threw out Caggiano at third for the first out. With Mike Baillargeon at the plate a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Bodnar struck out Baillargeon swinging for the second out. Pete Copa pinch hit for Mike DiCato and hit a chopper back to Bodnar who threw to Twomley for the final out of the game.
Matt DiCato made his first appearance of the playoffs and went the distance for the Chiefs. He gave up five hits, walked one, the only walk of the game, and struck out six. He gave up lead off doubles in the fourth (Justin Wright) and fifth (Vigurs), but stranded both runners.
Vigurs had two hits for Lexington and did another outstanding job at catcher. The Blue Sox infield of Joe Eramo at third, two putouts and four assists, Steve Gath at short with three assists, two putouts and two double plays, Justin Wright at second who had three assists and four putouts and two double plays and Twomley at first who had 10 putouts, had another great game.
Last season these two teams battled to five games in the finals. In 2011 Lexington won the first two games and then saw Andre win consecutive nights on walk-off hits to tie the series at 2-2. This year Andre jumped out to a 2-0 lead only to see Lexington come back and tie the series at 2-2. Will history repeat itself in game five or will there be a new ICL champion. Come to Lexington High School on Sunday at 5 p.m. to find out who will be the 2012 ICL champion.
Karis & Blue Sox Take Game Three in Lexington, 5-1
Lexington, MA- The Lexington Blue Sox won Game Three of the best of five championship series 5-1 at Lexington High School on Thursday night.
The Chiefs lead the series two games to one. Game Four wll be played at Maplewood Park at Malden Catholic on Friday at 8:00 PM.
Over the first three innings the game feautured some fine pitching from the Chiefs' Mike DiCato and Lexington's Matt Karis. Karis retired nine of the first ten Chiefs he faced with the streak broken when Paul Yanakopulos reached on an error by shortstop Steve Gath with two outs in the third. DiCato allowed just a first inning double to Justin Wright and a walk to Dan Graham and struck out the side in order in the bottom of the third.
The night's scoring began when the Chiefs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning against Karis. Tony Deshler led off with a single up the middle and Juan Portes followed with a single to right that sent Deshler to third. Jeff Bercume then hit into a 4-6-3 doubleplay with Deshler scoring. Mike Andre then reached on an error but Karis got out of the inning when he got Edward Ovalle to fly to left.
Lexington came back to score four times in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-1 lead. Dan Graham's one out double to left-center got the rally started. DiCato was an out away from escaping the inning when he struck out Dave Ahern for out number two before issuing what proved to be a costly walk to Jeff Vigurs. Jason Twomley then tied the game at 1-1 with a single to right. Dan Capra was next up and he singled to center with Landers' throw on target to the plate with Vigurs colliding with Chiefs catcher Nick Leva and scoring on the play. When Joe Eramo followed with Lexington's third consecutive single to right scoring Twomley and Capra, the Blue Sox had a 4-1 lead.
Karis frustrated the Chiefs over the next two innings retiring all six batters he faced.
Eramo closed out the scoring with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning that scored Capra who had doubled to jump the lead to 5-1.
The Chiefs made a little noise in the top of the seventh when Bercume and Baillargeon both singled but Karis gave the Blue Sox Game Three when he struck out Leva to end the evening.
Karis threw just 60 pitches in the complete game four hit win. He walked none and
struck out two.
DiCato took the loss in a complete game effort. He gave up seven hits, walked
three and struck out five.
MIKE ANDRE TWO RBI WALK-OFF GIVES CHIEFS GAME TWO OF CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES, 3-2
By
Bruce Tilman
Malden, MA- Mike Andre delivered a two out, two RBI
single in the bottom of the seventh inning to propel the Chiefs to a come from
behind and edge of your seat 3-2 win in Game Two of the Intercity League
's Championship series at Maplewood Park on Wednesday night.
With the win, the Chiefs take a 2-0 lead in the best of five series with Game Three scheduled for Lexington High on Thursday at 8:00 PM.
This one had all the twists and turns of an evening commute on Storrow Drive as the Chiefs pulled off more seventh inning dramatics to put themselves on the brink of an ICL Championship.
The Chiefs appeared poised to take a lead in the bottom of the first inning against Blue Sox starter Drew Brzozowski. Hal Landers got things going with a long double to left-center. Tony Deshler was next and he grounded out to Steve Gath at shortstop with Landers moving to third. Juan Portes followed with a hard grounder to Ross Curley at third, and with Landers going on contact, Curley threw a strike to catcher Jeff Vigurs to erase Landers at the plate. Jeff Bercume then drove Dave Ahern back to the fence in center to make a nice catch in his bid for a two run homer that ended the inning.
It was the Blue Sox who drew first blood and took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Ahern went the home run route and drilled a 0-2 Tim Dunphy change-up over the centerfield fence to give Lexington a one run lead.
In the Chiefs second, Andre flew deep to center for the first out and former Minnesota Twin Edward Ovalle singled sharply to left. Brzozowski kept the Chiefs scoreless when he struck out Mike Baillargeon and then got Mike DiCato to fly to center.
Dunphy got the Sox in order in the top of the third inning and the Chiefs threatened with two outs in the bottom of the inning but couldn’t come up with the equalizer. Deshler and Portes both singled with two away before Brzozowski retired the dangerous Bercume on sharp grounder to Jason Twomley at first to end the inning.
Lexington’s lead doubled to 2-0 in the top of the fourth inning, again thanks to Ahern. Gath drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on Dan Graham’s grounder. Ahern picked up his second RBI of the night with a single to left, scoring Gath, to make it a 2-0 ballgame.
The Chiefs got their first run of the night in the bottom
of the fourth inning. Andre led things off with a single to center and Ovalle
reached on an infield error. With Baillargeon at the plate, he missed on a bunt attempt that was a called
strike and was dropped by Vigurs. Unsure if the ball
was bunted or dropped, Andre headed for third where he was gunned out by Vigurs
for the first out of the inning. The Chiefs then caught a break when Wright misplayed
Baillargeon’s grounder sending Ovalle to third. Mike DiCato then a hit a
grounder at Twomley at first who tagged the bag but Baillargeon beat his throw
to second allowing Ovalle to score the Chiefs’ first run that cut the lead to
2-1.With Baillargeon in scoring position, Brzozowski got Nick Leva to bounce
out to Wright at second to end the inning.
Dan Capra reached on an error by Baillargeon on a hard hit ball and stole second
with one out in the Lexington fifth. Dunphy kept it at 2-0 when he got
pinch-hitter Dan Haugh on a groundout
and Justin Wright on a flyout to Landers in center.
Brzozowski enjoyed his best inning of the night in the Chiefs’ fifth when he struck out Landers, Deshler and Portes in succession.
Gath drew his second consecutive leadoff walk from Dunphy to start the Lexington sixth but he was erased when Graham hit into a 4-6-3 doubleplay. The inning ended when Ahern was retired for the first time in the game on a fly to Ovalle in right.
The Chiefs looked to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth but were once again turned back by Brzozowski. Bercume led off with a line single off Twomley’s glove to right. Rob Caggiano came on to pinch for for Bercume who has been nursing a hamstring pull suffered in the Watertown series. Andre then laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt moving Caggiano to second. Ovalle followed and drew a walk. With Baillargeon at the plate, Vigurs attempted pickoff of Ovalle got past Twomley moving the runners up to second and third. Brzozowski came up huge when he caught Baillargeon looking at a breaking ball for the second out and then got DiCato to bounce out to Wright to keep it 2-1 heading for the seventh.
Dunphy struck out Vigurs and Twomley for the first two outs of the seventh before Jack Laurendeau singled sharply to left. Capra sent a shot deep to right-center that Landers made a nice running catch on to end the inning an set up the dramatic Chiefs’ seventh.
Brzozowski hit Leva with the first pitch he threw in the bottom of seventh and Paul Yanakopulos came on as a pinch-runner. Landers then moved Yanakopulos to second with a sacrifice bunt. Deshler was next and he beat out an infield grounder to Haugh who was subbing for the injured Curley at third. Portes followed and he worked a full count walk to load the bases for Matt Boleski who was hitting for Bercume who was lifted for a pinch runner an inning earlier. Brzozowski was equal to the task and struck out Boleski swinging to put the Sox an out away from tying the series. Andre took a fastball for a strike and then saw another pitch for a ball to even the count. Brzozowski’s 1-1 offering was the last of the night as Andre singled to right center scoring Yanakopulos from third and the sliding Deshler from second to give the Chiefs the dramatic two out 3-2 comeback win.
For the Chiefs, it was their fourth straight walk off win against the Blue Sox in Malden dating back to last year’s game three of the championship series when they rallied from a 4-1 seventh inning deficit to take a 5-4 win. In game four of that series, Andre delivered a walk off tenth inning grand slam to give the Chiefs a 6-2 win. Back on July 2, Portes provided the walk off game winner with a two RBI single giving the Chiefs a 5-4 win.
Dunphy allowed four hits (Ahern 2, Gath & Laurendeau) and struck out five. Brzozowski allowed eight hits (Andre 2, Deshler 2 and Portes, Ovalle, Bercume & Landers one each) and struck out six.
