Andre Chiefs

Lexington, MA- Right-hander Jared Freni tossed a twelve strikeout, four hit gem to give the Chiefs a 2-0 win and a one game to none lead in opener of the Intercity League’s best of five championship series on Tuesday night in Lexington. Game Two will be played at Maplewood Park at Malden Catholic on Wednesday at 8:00 PM.

The Chiefs gave Freni the only run he would need in the top of the first inning. Leadoff man Hal Landers drew a walk from Lexington starter Brett Fistes and went to third on Tony Deshler’s single to right. With Juan Portes at plate, Fistes threw a wild pitch as Landers scored standing to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead. With Deshler at second, Fistes got Portes, Jeff Bercume, and Mike Andre to all ground out to end the inning.

The Blue Sox got a man in scoring position in the bottom of the first inning on Justin Wright’s single, but Freni got both Steve Gath and Dan Graham on outfield flies to keep it 1-0.

A Nick Leva two out single was all the Chiefs could generate against Fistes in the top half of the second. Lexington took advantage of walks to Jason Twomley and Jeff Vigurs to move two runners into scoring position with two outs in the bottom of the inning before Freni got Dan Capra to fly to Landers in center.

Fistes struck out Landers and Deshler to open the top of the third before Portes singled and

Bercume was hit by a pitch but Fistes got Andre to fly out to Capra in left.

Wright reached base for the second time when he drew a one out walk in the Lexington third but Freni struck out Gath and Graham to send the game to the fourth inning.

Leva’s second single of the night gave the Chiefs another two out baserunner in the top of the fourth but Paul Yanakopulos flew out to end the inning. Vigurs went the same route with a two out single for Lexington in the home half of the frame but Freni got Jack Laurendeau to bounce out to Portes at short that ended the inning.

Portes gave the Chiefs their fourth straight inning with a two out single in the top of the fifth. Twomley’s nice play on a Bercume grounder to first base ended the inning as the game headed to the Blue Sox fifth. Ross Curley singled to center with one out but Freni stayed tough and got Wright to ground out and struck out Gath swinging to end the inning.

The Chiefs threatened but couldn’t push a run across in the top of the sixth.  Andre got things started when he led off with a single to left and Edward Ovalle sacrificed him to second. Mike DiCato was next and reached on a Wright error at second that sent Andre to third. Fistes then got Leva to bounce back to him with Andre forced to hold at third and DiCato moving up to second. Fistes then came up with his biggest strikeout of the game when he got Yanakopulos swinging to end the inning.

Graham led off the Lexington sixth with a single to center and after two unsuccessful bunt attempts by Capra, he flew to Ovalle in right for the first out. Graham then stole second as Freni struck out Twomley for out number two. Vigurs was next and he struck out swinging on a low breaking ball that got past Leva allowing him to go to first with Graham moving to third. Freni kept the one run lead intact when he got Laurendeau to ground to Portes at short.

The Chiefs caught a break and picked up a big insurance run in the top of the seventh. After Landers and Deshler both grounded out, Portes hit his third consecutive single of the night to left and stole second. Bercume, who was hitting in the cleanup spot in the game, was next and he hit a grounder up the middle that was gloved by Gath but his throw to first was high for an error allowing Portes to score the Chiefs’ second run in unearned fashion.

Freni was immense in the bottom of the seventh striking out the side to preserve the two run lead.

Fistes allowed seven hits (Portes 3, Leva 2, Andre & Deshler 1 each) struck out five, walked one, and hit a batter. Along with his dozen K’s, Freni walked three and threw 123 pitches in his complete game effort.

Malden, MA- For the third consecutive night the Chiefs prevailed in a one run game and in the process swept the Watertown Reds three games to none in their best of five semi-final series. The Chiefs will now move on to the Intercity League Championship for the second consecutive season and for the third time in the last four years.

The Chiefs took the series opener 2-1 in a marquee matchup between two of ICL’s best pitchers with Jared Freni’s one-hitter besting Reds ace Brian Casey. A night later they saw the Reds, who were down to their last strike, rally to tie the game at 2-2 before they came back and won it on Matt Boleski’s tenth inning single.

The series clincher came Thursday night at Maplewood Park and by no means did it come easy. In a back and forth game that saw four lead changes, the Chiefs dug themselves out of 1-0 and 4-2 holes to a take a 8-4 lead into the seventh before another Reds’ rally came up a run short as they held on to win 8-7.

In the middle of it all was Chiefs veteran righty Mike DiCato, who surrendered a career high eleven hits. He somehow managed to go the route, including the nail-biting seventh, before he sent his team to the finals with a huge game ending strikeout.

The Reds drew first blood and took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on singles by Matt McEvoy, Steve Busby and Brendan Casey.

Watertown starter Andrew LeBrun kept the Chiefs off the board in the bottom of the first.

DiCato pitched himself out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the second and the Chiefs responded in the bottom of the inning to take their first lead of the night at 2-1. After Mike Baillargeon flew to left for the first out, Nick Leva singled. Consecutive walks to Mike Barbati and Paul Yanakopulos loaded the bases for Hal Landers who beat out the back end of an attempted 6-4-3 doubleplay to allow Leva to score and tie the game at 1-1. Tony Deshler followed with a sharp RBI single to left that scored Barbati giving the Chiefs their first lead of the night. LeBrun then issued his third walk of the frame to re-load the bases before he struck out Edward Ovalle swinging to keep it a 2-1 affair.
 
DiCato settled in nicely and enjoyed a seven pitch 1-2-3 third inning. LeBrun had his best inning of the night when he returned the favor and retired the Chiefs in order in the bottom of the inning.

The Reds came back and took their second lead of the game when they scored three times in the top of the fourth to re-claim the lead at 4-2. Dan Chaisson got things started with a line single to left. DiCato struck out Will Brennan for the first out and Steve Tramontozzi followed with another single. Kevin Kelley drew a walk to load the bases for leadoff man Mac Jacobson. Jacobson singled to center to score Brennan with Landers coming up big and throwing out Tramontozzi at the plate on a close play. McEvoy followed and lined a full count fastball into right center scoring Kelley to put the Reds back in front 3-2. Baillargeon then booted a grounder off the bat of Busby that allowed Jacobson to score and give the Reds a 4-2 lead. Deshler tracked down catcher Sean Callahan-Montague’s bid for a three run homer on the warning track in left to end the inning and keep the Chiefs within striking distance.

Two runs came across for the Chiefs in the bottom of the fourth when they tied the game at 4-4. Barbati drew LeBrun’s fifth walk of the game and Paul Yanakopulos followed with a single. They both moved up on a wild pitch before Landers sent Barbati home with a sacrifice fly to left. LeBrun’s control problems continued as he walked Deshler to load the bases. Juan Portes was next and he hit a hard grounder to Casey at third. The former Azusa Pacific standout stepped on third to force Yanakopulos but his throw across the diamond to get Portes skipped by Chaisson at first allowing Deshler to score and knot things at 4-4 with Portes going all the way to third on the error. LeBrun kept the game tied when he got Ovalle to ground to Casey to end the inning.

DiCato got the Reds in order for the second time in the game in the top of the fifth.

Mike Andre got the Chiefs four run uprising started when he lined a leadoff single to right to begin the bottom of the fifth. Baillargeon drew a walk and Charlie DeFrancesco came on for the Reds to replace LeBrun. Leva then legged out a perfect bunt to load the bases. Game Two pitcher Tim Dunphy pinch ran for Leva. Barbati then came up with the Chiefs’ biggest hit of the game when he lined a single down the left field line scoring Andre and Baillargeon to give them a 6-4 lead. Yanakopulos' sacrifice bunt was thrown away by DeFrancesco for an error, allowing Dunphy to score from second to make it a 7-4 game. With runners on second and third, Landers popped up for the first out of the inning before Deshler drew the seventh walk of the night issued by Reds’ pitching to load the bases. Portes was next and he lined to Kelley at second who made the catch but threw low to first in a double play attempt as Barbati came across with the fourth run of the inning.

The Reds went in order on three groundouts and Ryan Augenstene kept the Chiefs bats quiet in the uneventful sixth.

With the Chiefs holding an 8-4 lead, things got more than a bit interesting in the top of the seventh as the Reds appeared poised to pull off some last inning dramatics for the second night in a row. DiCato hit McEvoy with the first pitch of the inning and then walked Busby. When Rich Boyer blooped a single to center the Reds were back in business with the bases loaded and nobody out. Casey then drilled a double down the left field line scoring Busby and Boyer to make it an 8-6 game and setting the Reds up with the tying runs at second and third with still no outs. The biggest play of the game came next when Chaisson hit a grounder to Portes. The shortstop looked at first base and then wheeled and threw a perfect strike to Yankopulos to get Boyer at the plate for the first out of the inning. With runners now on first and third, Brennan hit a chopper back to DiCato who threw to second to force Chaisson for the second out but he beat the relay to first to pick up an RBI, scoring Casey, to make it 8-7. The resilient Reds were still not finished as Tramontozzi kept them alive one more time with a line shot single to center. With the tying run at second base, DiCato came up big and finally ended things and sent the Chiefs to the championship when he struck out Kelley swinging to conclude the series and complete the sweep.

The now 26-7-2 Chiefs played Game Three without the services of Jeff Bercume and Peter Copa who were both out of the lineup with injuries suffered on Tuesday.

MORE COVERAGE IS COMING SOON.

Watertown, MA- Matt Boleski’s two out single in the top of the tenth inning gave the Chiefs a 3-2 win in Game Two of their Best of Five semi-final series at Victory Field in Watertown on Wednesday night.

Tim Dunphy, went all ten innings for the Chiefs to get the win.

The Chiefs took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh when Rich Boyer’s two out, two strike, single tied the game at 2-2.

Singles by Mike Andre and Edward Ovalle and a Hal Landers RBI groundout gave the Chiefs a 1-0 second inning lead against Reds’ starter Dave Ryan.

The lead went to 2-0 in the top of the seventh on a double by Nick Leva and triple by Jeff Bercume, who was thrown out at the plate trying to stretch it to a home run.

In the Reds seventh, Brendan Casey and Dan Chaisson both singled with one out. They both moved up a base on a Will Brennan ground out setting the stage for Boyer who singled up the middle to tie the game.

In the Chiefs tenth, Peter Copa led off with a single and Andre sacrificed him to second. Reds reliever Pat O’Donnell then got Ovalle to pop up before Boleski lined his game winner to center.

Dunphy, now 7-1-1 overall this season, allowed eight hits and struck out five.

Game Three is scheduled for Maplewood Park at Malden Catholic on Thursday at 8:00 PM.

Malden, MA- Jared Freni outdueled Watertown Reds' ace Brian Casey as the Chiefs took Game One of their Best of Five Semi Final series 2-1 at Maplewood Park in Malden on Tuesday night.

Freni allowed just one hit, a fourth inning single to Matt McEvoy, and struck out ten. Casey, allowed just five hits and struck out five.

Freni retired the Reds' side in order in the top of the first and the Chiefs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the inning. Leadoff man Jeff Bercume singled, stole second and third, and scored on Juan Portes' sacrifice fly to right.

The Reds went 1-2-3 again in the second, including two more Freni K's. The Chiefs threatened but could score in the bottom of the second. Mike Andre led off with a single to left. Peter Copa followed with a liner off Reds' shortstop Will Brennan's glove that moved Andre to second. Hal Landers then bunted but Casey was quick off the mound and threw Andre out at third for the inning's first out. Casey, the former Tufts star and two time ICL Pitcher of the Year, got out of the inning unscathed when he struck out Paul Yanakopulos and then got catcher Nick Leva to bounce back to him.

Freni and Casey both retired the side in order in the third inning.

The Reds got their first baserunner with one out in the top of the fourth when McEvoy singled up the middle. McEvoy got into scoring position on a passed ball. Freni left him stranded when he struck out Steve Busby and then got Sean Callahan-Montague to ground out.

Casey crusied through his second 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fourth inning.

The Chiefs picked up what proved to be the winning run in the bottom of the fifth. Yanakopulos singled, went to second on a wild pitch, to third on a Leva grounder, and scored on Bercume's RBI single to right center.

The Reds got their run in the top of the sixth without a hit and threatened for more. Trouble started when pinch-hitter Rich Boyer reached on a one out error by Andre at third. Freni then walked Mac Jacobson. The Reds loaded the bases when Portes mis-played McEvoy's potential double play grounder. Busby then delivered a sacrifice fly down the left field line cutting the lead in half at 2-1. Callahan-Montague drew Freni's second walk of the inning to re-load the bases before he struck out Brendan Casey to keep the Chiefs in the lead.

Casey got the Chiefs in order for the third time in the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.

In the Reds' seventh, Dan Chaisson bounced to Andre at third, Brennan grounded to Portes at shortstop, and Freni struck out Steve Trammontozzi to end the game.

Casey didn't walk a batter and retired ten Chiefs in a row from the second thru the fifth innings when Yanakopulos singled. Freni threw 104 pitches in the game and walked two.

Game Two is scheduled for Wednesday night at 7:30 PM at Watertown's Victory Field. Game Three will be played back at Maplewood on Thursday night.

Medford, MA- Statistically, several Chiefs finished the regular season among the leaders in many ICL categories.

To go along with Juan Portes, who won the regular Triple Crown with a .452 average, five homers and 24 RBI, other Chiefs’ players were tops in many categories led by leadoff man Jeff Bercume and right-hander Jared Freni.

Bercume, (pictured left) posted some big time numbers over the regular season. The veteran centerfielder led the ICL in five major offensive categories. The former Oakland A’s farmhand and Merrimack College standout and captain was tops in triples with five, runs scored with 26, slugging percentage (.739), on base plus slugging (1.239) and stolen bases, stealing 24 bases in 24 attempts.

Bercume also finished third in the batting race going 40-92 for a .435 mark, was second league wide in both hits with 40, and on base percentage (.500), third in home runs with four, and fifth in runs batted in with 25. The Chiefs’ veteran, who began his ICL career in 2007, played in New York in 2008 and was with the Oakland A’s in 2010 and half of 2011, before returning to the Chiefs last July. He continues to climb up the Chiefs’ all-time leader lists, and is currently ninth in homers with 13, sixteenth in hits with 141, and nineteenth in runs batted in with 73. Bercume has also stolen 58 bases in 66 attempts during his Chiefs’ career. He has a .342 lifetime batting average in the ICL.

Other Chiefs among the ICL’s regular season batting average leaders included Tony Deshler who was eighteenth at .325 and Mike Andre at .286. Andre was seventh in the ICL in hits with 30 while Deshler finished in the thirteenth spot with 28. Andre was also seventh in RBI with 19 and Deshler had a dozen, good for a top twenty finish in that category. Both Mike Baillargeon (6 for 6) and Hal Landers (5-5) finished in top ten in stolen bases.

Jared Freni

In the pitching department, Jared Freni led the circuit in several categories. The former Malden Catholic and UMass-Amherst standout, who posted an 8-1-1 regular season record, was tops in wins with 8, strikeouts with 104, innings pitched (69) and strikeouts per inning pitched (1.51). Freni, who was a co-recipient of the ICL’s Outstanding Pitcher Award in 2011, also finished fifth in ERA (1.52), and WHIP (.942). He began his Chiefs’ career in 2006, spent a few college seasons in the NECBL, before returning to the team on a full time basis in 2010. Like Bercume, he also continues to climb the Chiefs all-time leader lists and is now in third place in career strikeouts with 306 K’s, fifth in career wins with 23, seventh in appearances (40), and sixth in innings pitched with 241. He has a career record of 23-6 with the Chiefs.

Right behind Freni and giving the Chiefs a solid 1-2 pitching punch was veteran lefty Tim Dunphy who compiled a 6-1-1 regular season record. He finished third in three categories including; wins (6), ERA (1.14), and WHIP .904. Dunphy was also fifth in innings pitched with 55.1.

Other Chiefs’ pitchers among the leaders were Matt DiCato (4-1), who finished with the fourth best ERA (1.52) and in eighth place in WHIP (1.200) in 31.2 innings pitched. Both Matt and his older brother Mike DiCato were in the top ten in wins with four each.

The Chiefs hit .294 as team over the regular season. They posted a team ERA of 2.23 while compiling a record of 23-7-2.