Andre Chiefs

Malden, MA- Tim Dunphy went the distance to pick up his fourth win of the season as the southpaw pitched the Chiefs past the Watertown Reds 9-4 at Maplewood Park on Monday night.

Looking to avenge two lopsided losses earlier this season to the Reds in Watertown, the Chiefs started quickly on this night scoring four times in the bottom of the first and adding three more in the second to take a 7-0 lead after two innings.

The Chiefs got to Watertown starter Ryan Augenstene early when Jeff Bercume led off with a double and scored on Juan Portes’ third homer of the season, a towering two run shot to left center, for a 2-0 lead. Walks to Edward Ovalle, Mike Baillargeon and Hal Landers sandwiched around a Mike Andre single to left center led to two more runs and a 4-0 Chiefs’ lead after an inning.

The lead went to 7-0 in the second inning on a triple by Portes, an Ovalle single and a Baillargeon double.

Dunphy held the Reds scoreless in the top of the third and Watertown reliever Pat O’Donnell restored order and kept the Chiefs off the board in the bottom of the inning.

The Reds closed the gap to 7-3 when they scored three times in the top of the fourth on singles from Steve Busby, Brendan Casey and Matt McEvoy and an opposite field double by Ryan Manning.

The Chiefs answered right back in their half of the inning when they scored a couple more runs on a Bercume two RBI double, increasing their margin to 9-3.

Dan Chaisson’s fifth homer of the year, a solo blast to left, leading off the sixth inning closed out the scoring for the night to account for the 9-4 final.

Dunphy, now 4-1-1, allowed nine hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out six.

Augenstene (1-2) took the loss for Watertown.

The Reds play the Arlington Trojans on Tuesday at Bentley at 6:00 PM. The Chiefs enjoy a night off and return to Maplewood to host the Reading Bulldogs on Wednesday at 7:45 PM.

After squandering scoring opportunity after scoring opportunity and stranding eight men on base, including leaving the bases juiced twice, it appeared that the outcome would result in the one of the Chiefs’ most “tough to take” shutout losses of the season as well as wasting an outstanding effort by righty Matt DiCato.

Not so fast.

Enter Juan Portes. Then Mike Andre.  Followed by Mike Baillargeon. And finally Andy Cavanaugh.

With two quietly and quickly  gone it the top of the seventh Portes (pictured left) gave his team some life with a seed single to left. Andre was next and delivered maybe his biggest clutch hit so far this season when he drilled a full count Connor Mahon offering to right sending Portes to third.

Cavanaugh came on to pinch run for Andre and Baillargeon brought the crowd back into the ballpark when he delivered an opposite field triple into the right field corner with Portes scoring and Cavanaugh beating the relay home to catcher Mike Sorrentino to give the Chiefs a sudden and improbable lead at 2-1. Kevin Flight came on to relieve Mahon and got Mike DiCato on an infield grounder to send the Chiefs back onto the field for the bottom of the seventh leading 2-1.

The Merchants did not go quietly. Joe Papa was first up to face the younger of the two DiCato Brothers and he grounded to Portes at shortstop for the first out. Dave Orlowitz followed with a sharp single to left and promptly stole second. With Orlowitz in scoring position, DiCato got Joe Breen to bounce to Baillargeon at second for out number two with Orlowitz moving to third. With the tying run ninety feet away, Nick Napoli grounded to Mike Barbati, who had come on to replace Andre at third, and he threw Napoli out at first by a couple of steps to end the game.

Mahon frustrated the undermanned and ailing Chiefs lineup through the first 6.2 innings. The Merchants gave him what appeared to be the only run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Orlowitz drew a one out walk and DiCato threw Breen’s comebacker low to second for an error. Napoli made DiCato pay when he drilled a single to left scoring Orlowitz giving the Merchants a 1-0 lead on the unearned run.

DiCato, who raised his record to 3-1 and lowered his ERA to 0.69 in 20.1 innings so far this season, allowed just five hits and struck out one. Mahon, who named as a mid season ICL all-star, took the tough loss and fell to 2-3. The Norwich University righty surrendered ten hits, walked three and struck out four in his 6.2 innings.

With the win the Chiefs go to 14-6-2 while the Merchants fall to 11-14 while suffering their sixth straight loss and their third consecutive one run defeat.

The Merchants are off on Monday and will look to rebound on Tuesday when they visit the Bulldogs in Reading. The Chiefs meanwhile will play their fourth game in four days when they host the Watertown Reds in a big game at Maplewood Park, on the on campus of Malden Catholic, on Monday night at 7:45 PM. Southpaw Tim Dunphy (3-1-1, 1.02 ERA) will draw the starting assignment. -Bruce Tilman

Medford, MA- Former Atlanta Braves right-hander Kevin McGlinchy tossed a neat two-hitter, striking out eight, to get the Medford Americans past the Chiefs 4-1 at Tufts University on Saturday afternoon.

The Americans jumped out to 1-0 lead against Mike DiCato in the top of the first inning on singles from Mike Burgoyne and Kevin Davis, a walk to Joe Sheehan, and a sacrifice fly from Jon Barber.

The Americans’ lead went to 3-0 in the top of the fourth on singles by Barber and Mike Kalfopoulos, a walk to James McConnville, and a wild pitch.

McGlinchy allowed a run, without yet giving up hit, in the Chiefs fourth when Jeff Bercume walked, stole second and third, and scored on a Juan Portes RBI grounder to shortstop.

The Americans got that run right back in the top of the fifth when Chris Salvati reached on a throwing error by Tony Deshler and a Sheehan double making the score 4-1.

McGlinchy meanwhile was sailing along with a no-hitter for 5.2 innings until Bercume broke it up when he beat out an infield single on a close play at first. Deshler followed with the Chiefs’ only clean hit of the day, a single up the middle. McGlinchy ended the Chiefs lone scoring threat when he struck out Portes swinging to end the inning.

McGlinchy evened his season mark at 4-4 with the win while DiCato fell to 2-3.

The Chiefs stay busy travelling to Walsh Field in Wakefield to meet the Merchants on Sunday at 5:00 PM before returning to Maplewood to meet the Watertown Reds on Monday night at 7:45 PM.

Chiefs Chatter...The Chiefs' walking wounded added another member when Edward Ovalle went down with a calf injury in the third inning. Ovalle joins Peter Copa and Hal Landers and a number of others who are already ailing.... The Chiefs ended Saturday's game with the absurd number of 15 players not available including; Ovalle, Copa, Landers, Mike Baillargeon, Tim Quinn, Nick Leva, Brendan Pyburn, Rob Caggiano, Andy Cavanaugh, Paul Covelle, Rob Machado, Jared Freni, Zarif Pajazetovic, Sam McDonough and Dan Bonito....Pitcher Matt DiCato, who had a couple of at bats at Framingham State this spring, was forced into the lineup due to so many players being unavailable when Ovalle was injured.....

Arlington, MA- Jared Freni went six innings to pick up the win and Juan Portes had a 3 for 4 evening as the Chiefs escaped Summer Street Field in Arlington with a sloppy 3-2 win over the Trojans on Friday night.

The Chiefs were cruising along with a 3-0 lead with one out in the seventh until three infield errors cut the lead to 3-2 and brought the winning run to plate with two outs. Only an outstanding play by Tony Deshler on an infield chopper avoided more trouble as he threw Justin Mansfield out at first on a close play to end the game.

The Chiefs staked Freni to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Edward Ovalle doubled in his first Chiefs’ at bat and scored when Portes, his former Minnesota Twin teammate, drove him in with a single.

The lead went to 2-0 in the second when Deshler led off with a single to right, Mike DiCato was hit by a pitch, and Paul Yanakopulos drew a walk from Arlington starter Eric Oberg to load the bases. Jeff Bercume then delivered Deshler with a sacrifice fly to center that scored Deshler.

It stayed a 2-0 as the Chiefs missed scoring opportunities in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings while stranding 13 men on base.

Freni was tough when he had to be as the Trojans got two men on in the second (walk, single), a runner to second in the third, and another runner in scoring position in the fifth (Justin Friedman single).

The Chiefs added what proved to be their all important third run in the seventh. Mike Andre singled into the shortstop hole and when Morgan Brown’s throw was low to first he moved to second. Reliever Marcus Way then struck out Deshler swinging for the first out. Pinch runner Rob Caggiano then went to third on a wild pitch and scored what proved to be the game winner on a DiCato single to right.

Tim Dunphy came on for Freni to start the seventh and things begin uneventfully enough when he got Kevin Hart to groundout to DiCato at first. Dan Csapler then grounded to Portes at short and when his throw sailed high over DiCato’s head at first Csapler was standing at second with one out. Dave Cunningham followed and reached on Pyburn’s error to put runners on the corners. Pinch hitter Paul O’Neil then hit a slow roller at Deshler at third which he charged and threw wide of first allowing Csapler to score to make it 3-1. Friedman then grounded to Pyburn who forced O’Neil at second with Cunningham scoring as the Trojans closed to 3-2. Mansfield then hit another chopper between the mound and third. Deshler charged the ball and fired to DiCato on a banger at first to end the game.

Freni (5-1-1) struck out eight and walked one. Dunphy allowed two unearned runs and picked up his first save of the season.

The Chiefs had eight hits against a trio of Trojan pitchers as Portes (3 singles) and Ovalle (double & single) were the only Chiefs to have multiple hit games.

The 13-5-2 Chiefs are right back in action on Saturday afternoon when they meet the Americans at Tufts University in a 1:30 PM start.

CHIEFS CHATTER........The Chiefs return to action on Wednesday night when they host the Testa Corp. Bombers at Maplewood starting at 7:45 PM.......First baseman and former Malden Catholic/UMass-Amherst/California Angel Peter Copa remains day to day with a quad injury suffered last week against Lexington.....Sam McDonough made his first appearance of the season in Sunday’s loss at Reading. The former UMass-Amherst righty had a standout career at Conrad High in West Hartford CT, before moving on to UMass where injuries limited his appearances. An all around athlete, McDonough was named all Central Connecticut League as a three year quarterback as well as all conference as a senior in basketball. He was a three time CCL all league selection as pitcher for Conrad as well......The Chiefs also added former Minnesota Twins outfielder Edward Ovalle to the roster last week. Ovalle, was a teammate of shortstop Juan Portes on a number of occasions in the Twins system. Ovalle played in 573 professional games over a span of six seasons where he hit 37 homers and drove in 258 runs to go along with a .265 career average.....Two young right-handers will making their ICL debuts over the next few weeks. Malden Catholic righty Paul Covelle of Medford, who is headed to Franklin Pierce in the fall, as well as Everett standout Zarif Pajazetovic have joined the club. Covelle and Pajazetovic give the Chiefs’ staff some added bullpen depth and youth as they join fellow rookies John Chotkowski of Tewksbury and Dan Bonito (Western New England) formerly of Malden Catholic, on the staff.......Former Chief catcher Mike Romano made certain his old team had plenty of good wood to swing this summer as he helped supply the club with Zorian Bats. Another former Chief, Rob Zorian, is the owner of Zorian Bat Company and the two ex-teammates made sure that the Chiefs would be swinging plenty of Zorians this summer.....The Chiefs head into the stretch run with eight players who had previously signed a pro contract on their roster. Jeff Bercume (Oakland A’s), Tony Deshler (Penrith Panthers), Juan Portes and Edward Ovalle (Minnesota Twins), Mike Baillargeon and Mike DiCato (Worcester Tornadoes), Peter Copa (California Angels) and Tim Dunphy (Namur Angels) have all inked professional pacts at some point in their careers....The 2012 ICL playoffs are scheduled to get underway around Thursday, August 9. The top six teams will qualify with the two top regular season finishers getting a first round bye. Team #3 will meet Team #6 and Teams #4 & #5 will meet in a best of three first round. The winners will meet the two top teams in a best of five semi-final series. The ICL championship series is also a best of five series......Mike Andre climbed into the top ten in all time hits last week when he recorded his 194 hit, passing the aforementioned Mike Romano. Andre is currently in eighth position on the career RBI list with 129 and 13^th in home runs with nine. The former Merrimack co-captain is in his seventh ICL campaign....Speaking of former Merrimack co-captains, Bercume is also steadily moving up the Chiefs’ career leader list in home runs (12 HRS, 9^th), RBI (63, 16^th) and hits (123, 17^th).....Staying on the subject of career leaders, Mike DiCato has moved into the top five all-time in both mound appearances (51) and innings pitched (227).....-Bruce Tilman