Andre Chiefs

(Coverage and Photos by Mike Mills, Mark Cavanaugh & Patrick Holloway)
Malden, MA- In one of the most dramatic ICL playoff games in decades, the Chiefs somehow picked themselves up off the canvas with a heart fluttering four run seventh inning rally, with Mike Barbati providing the walk-off game winning single, to live another day and take Game Three of the Championship Series 5-4 under the lights before a large crowd at Pine Banks.

Make no mistake about it, the fat lady was most definitely in the building, the pulse was fading away, the family was summoned to the bedside, and the trio was striking up the opening stanza of Londonderry Air on the deck of the Titanic. Any of the above scenarios seemed fitting and proper after the Blue Sox scored three times to break a 1-1 tie in the top of the seventh to take a seemingly insurmountable 4-1 lead.

Not so fast. At least not with this band of Chiefs who have gutted out rubber game wins over the Watertown Reds and Wakefield Merchants this playoff season to earn the right to play the four time defending champion Blue Sox.

This was one for the ages. To go along with an old fashioned pitcher’s duel between Lexington’s Steve Bodnar and the Chiefs’ Rob Machado, the game featured some truly outstanding defense, three Houdini like escapes, and 22 strikeouts and 22 hits for good measure.  Both right-handers landed solidly on their feet enough times to somehow keep the game a 1-1 tie into the seventh when the tone of the game changed course and the two teams combined for seven runs.

The night started quietly enough when Machado set the Sox down in order in the top of first inning.

Former Oakland A’s farmhand Jeff Bercume got the Chiefs off to the start they desperately needed, after being dominated in the first two games of the series, when he led off and deposited a Bodnar fastball over the center-field wall for a quick 1-0 lead. After Bodnar struck out Mike Baillargeon and Mike Andre in succession, Justin Crisafulli drilled a long double off the fence in right-center. Blue Sox third baseman Ross Curley then made the first of his two outstanding defensive plays in the game when he saved a run and snagged Mike DiCato’s liner earmarked for the left field corner to end the inning.

A Matt McEvoy two out single was all the Blue Sox could generate against Machado in the top of the second and Curley was at it again defensively in the bottom of the inning to keep it a 1-0 game. Barbati led off with a double down the leftfield line and Matt Boleski sacrificed him to third. With the infield playing halfway, Bodnar got Nick Leva to ground out to Steve Gath at shortstop, with Barbati being forced to hold at third for the second out. Paul Yanakopulos was next and he drilled a Bodnar pitch to the left of Curley who made a diving stop and recovered quickly enough to throw out the speedy Yanakopulos out at first by a half step.

The Blue Sox had a mixed bag in top of the third inning as singles from Tom Haugh and Justin Wright alternated with three Machado strikeouts (Dan Capra, Pete Frates & Dan Graham) as the Chiefs and their big UMass-Amherst righty clung to their 1-0 lead.

Bodnar had his best inning of the night in the third as he struck out the top of the Chiefs order (Bercume, Baillargeon & Andre) in succession. 

The Blue Sox tied things up at 1-1 in the top of the fourth. Gath and Vigurs got it started with consecutive singles. McEvoy followed and he sacrificed the runners up to second and third. Curley then lofted a long fly to right-center they appeared to be heading for extra base territory. Enter Boleski who made the Chiefs’s web gem of the night, with a diving grab to rob Curley as Gath tagged from third and scored the tying run. Haugh then drew a walk but Machado struck out Dan Capra on a blistering fastball to end the frame.

Bodnar cruised through a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth and Machado pulled another big escape in the top of the fifth. Frates grounded out to Barbati for the first out before Wright singled. Machado then struck out Graham for the second out and the Chiefs caught a huge break when Gath unloaded a ground rule bomb double to left-center with Wright, who easily would have scored, being sent back to third. Machado came up big once again when he struck out Vigurs with runners on second and third to end the inning.

The Chiefs appeared poised to take the lead and then some in the bottom of the fifth but Bodnar pitched out of a bases loaded, nobody out jam. Boleski and Leva led off with singles and Yanakopulos dropped a perfect bunt to fill the bases with no outs. Bodnar got tough and got Bercume on a grounder to Gath with Boleski being forced at the plate for the first out, struck out Baillargeon, and got Andre to fly to McEvoy in left to end the inning.

McEvoy led off the Lexington sixth with a single and Curley struck out after attempting to bunt a two strike pitch. Machado seemingly got stronger and struck out Haugh and Capra stranding McEvoy.

Bodnar got the Chiefs in order for the third time in four innings in the bottom of the sixth (Crisafulli and DiCato fly outs and Barbati ground out) to send the game to the eventful seventh.

Frates led off the seventh and was hit on the elbow by a Machado pitch. Wright followed with a sharp single to center. Graham then bunted and Machado fielded the ball but threw low to third with Frates being called safe on a very close and disputed call. With the bases loaded and no outs, Gath hit a deep sacrifice fly to the warning track in left-center easily scoring Frates to give Lexington the lead at 2-1. Vigurs then hit a grounder up the middle to Baillargeon at shortstop that forced Graham at second but allowed Wright to score to make it a 3-1 game.  McEvoy then singled sending Vigurs to third and Curley followed with another single, scoring Vigurs, with the McEvoy being thrown out at third on a close play to end the inning.

Trailing 4-1, Boleski gave the Chiefs a ray of hope when he led off and drilled a Bodnar pitch deep over the right-field fence. Leva was next and he cracked a double to right-center. Yanakopulos then put the comeback into a high gear mode when he lined a triple off the fence in right, scoring Leva, to put the Chiefs back in business at 4-3, with the tying run at third and nobody out. Sam Finn was summoned from the bullpen and, with the infield drawn in, got Bercume to ground to Gath at short, with Yanakopulos holding at third. Finn got the second out when Baillargeon hit a check swing grounder to Haugh at first. Andre was next and he worked a walk with Andy Cavanaugh coming on to pinch run for him. Crisafulli came up big and he lined a 2-1 Finn pitch down the left-field line, scoring Yanakopulos, to tie things up at 4-4. Finn then hit DiCato with a pitch to load the bases and set the stage for Barbati. The second baseman took Finn’s first pitch back up the middle, scoring Cavanaugh, to complete the dramatic comeback and propel the Chiefs back into the series.   

Machado went the distance with a Herculean 121 pitch effort. Eleven was his number for the night as he allowed a career high eleven hits but also struck out a career high eleven batters.

Bodnar worked 6+ innings and surrendered nine hits and struck out seven. Finn took the loss in relief going 0.2 innings. 

(MORE PLAYOFF COVERAGE AND PHOTOS SOON)  

Lexington, MA- The Blue Sox offense rung out thirteen hits to rough up the Chiefs 8-1 and take a 2-0 series lead in Lexington on Thursday night.

With the win, Lexington is in a position to lock up their unprecedented fifth straight Intercity League Championship on Friday night at Pine Banks in Malden at 7:45 PM.

Lexington’s Drew Brzozowski and Chiefs’ starter Tim Dunphy both cruised through a 1-2-3 first inning.

Justin Crisafulli led off the Chiefs second inning with a single and moved into scoring position on Mike Andre’s groundout and went to third when Mike DiCato grounded to Steve Gath at shortstop. Crisafulli was left at third when Brzozowski struck out Mike Barbati swinging to end the inning.

The Blue Sox struck for four straight two out hits and two runs in the bottom of the second. Matt McEvoy got things started when he beat out an infield single up the middle. Three more singles from Ross Curley, Tom Haugh and Dan Capra accounted for the two runs. The inning ended when Jeff Bercume fired a strike to Andre at third base to get Haugh attempting to go from first to third on Capra’s RBI single.

Brzozowski got the Chiefs in order again in the top of the third.The Blue Sox threatened for more in the home half of the inning on singles by Pete Frates and Gath before Dunphy got out of the jam when Jeff Vigurs flew to Vinny Pennell in left.

The Chiefs cut the lead in half to 2-1 in the top of the fourth. Baillargeon led off with a single. Pennell flew to center for the first out and Brzozowski struck out Crisafulli for out number two. Andre kept things going when he singled to left and DiCato followed with a single up the middle driving in Baillargeon. Brzozowski didn’t let the Chiefs get any closer when he struck out Barbati looking on an inside pitch, stranding Andre and DiCato, to end the inning.

Lexington picked up three runs to take a 5-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. McEvoy singled and Curley sacrificed him to second. Haugh then singled to left scoring McEvoy to make it 3-1. Capra followed with a gap triple that scored Haugh to make it 4-1. Frates then singled over the drawn in Chiefs’ infield to score Capra to jump the lead to 5-1, Frates stole second but Dunphy kept the Chiefs within four runs when he struck out Justin Wright and Dan Graham in succession.

Brzozowski held the Chiefs scoreless in the top of the fifth. Jake Crawford came out of the bullpen to relieve Dunphy with one out in the bottom of the inning and kept the Sox off the board.

The Chiefs last opportunity to get back into the game came in the top of the sixth. Baillargeon singled up the middle before Pennell grounded out. After Crisafulli flew to left for the second out, Andre followed with a ground rule double that skipped off the first base bag and went out of play down the right field line putting runners on second and third. Brzozowski ended the inning when he got DiCato to ground sharply to Curley at third base.

The Blue Sox put it out of reach against Crawford in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three more runs, to take a 8-1 lead. Walks to Haugh, Graham and Gath combined with singles by Frates and Vigurs led to the runs.

Two out singles from Nick Leva and Bercume gave the Chiefs two more baserunners in the top of the seventh but Brzozowski brought the evening to a close when he caught Baillargeon looking at strike three on an inside fastball.

The Chiefs are expected to send right-hander Rob Machado to the mound in the must win Game Three on Friday while the Blue Sox will counter with Steve Bodnar.

Friday’s game is being played at Pine Banks due to the fact that Tufts University does not have lights. Pine Banks is located on the Malden-Melrose line. The GPS address is 1087 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176.

If the Chiefs can force a Game Four, the time and location will be set for either Monday or Tuesday and will be announced after the impact of Hurricane Irene is known.  

Regardless of Friday’s outcome, there will no games played on Saturday or Sunday..  

Lexington, MA- Babson left-hander Mike O’Brien and former Princeton and Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Tim Lahey combined on a three hit shutout to get the Lexington Blue Sox past the Chiefs 3-0 in Game One of the Intercity League Championship Series on Wednesday night.

Game Two of the best of five series is scheduled back in Lexington on Thursday at 8:00 PM.

Dan Graham had a 2 RBI double

Chiefs’ starter Jared Freni and O’Brien kept the game scoreless until the bottom of the third inning when the Blue Sox scored twice to take the lead. Veteran Dan Graham (pictured left) gave Lexington all the runs they would need when he crushed a two out, two RBI double to straight away center, scoring Tom Haugh (Bentley) who had walked and Pete Frates (Boston College) who had singled. Graham, the former Central Connecticut star is a two time Intercity League MVP. He played professionally in the Can-Am Legaue with the Brockton Rox.

The Blue Sox added their third run on former Virginia Commonwealth standout Justin Wright’s solo homer to right-center field in the bottom of the fifth inning.

O’Brien worked five innings, allowed three hits and struck out five. Lahey came on to pitch the final two frames to pick up the save and did not allow a hit.

Vinny Pennell (double), Jeff Bercume (infield single) and Mike Barbati (single) was all the Chiefs could show in the hit column for the evening.

The Chiefs were not without their scoring chances as they had men on base in every inning but the seventh. Pennell doubled to left with two outs in the first inning but O’Brien struck out Justin

Former KC Royal Vinny Pennell had a double

Crisafulli to end the inning. Barbati’s single came with two outs in the second but O’Brien got Boleski to pop up. In the third, Bercume reached on his infield single and Mike Baillargeon drew a walk. With Pennell at the plate, Bercume tried to steal third but was thrown out by Jeff Vigurs. Pennell eventually drew a walk but Crisafulli grounded out to end the inning. An inning later in the fourth, Mike Andre was hit by a pitch leading off but Mike DiCato grounded into a doubleplay. Nick Leva led off the sixth with a ball earmarked for the left-center field gap that Frates made a diving catch on to rob him of extra bases. Bercume then drew a walk before Matt McEvoy made the second good defensive play of the inning when he ran down Baillargeon’s liner to left. The Chiefs final chance came against Lahey in the sixth when Crisafulli led off and reached on an infield error. Andre then hit a short hop laser to Ross Curley at third who made Lexington’s third outstanding defensive play of the game and started a 5-4-3 doubleplay.

Freni pitched very well despite taking the loss. The former UMass-Amherst righty went six innings, allowed three runs (all earned), six hits, and struck out nine.

Weather permitting, a pair of former Brandeis University pitchers will get the starting assignments in Game Two on Thursday. The Chiefs will send southpaw Tim Dunphy, who is 7-1-1 overall this season and 3-0 in playoffs, to the mound while the Blue Sox will counter with righty Drew Brzozowski, who is 5-0 so far this season.

Game Three of the series will be played on the turf of Pine Banks Park, on the Malden-Melrose line on Friday at 7:45 PM.

League officials will be closely monitoring weather conditions over the next few days. The possibility exists for severe thunderstorms on Thursday and the prospect of Hurricane Irene is looming boldly for the weekend.

Any weather related changes to the schedule will be immediately posted at www.intercityleaguebaseball.com. as well as local media outlets.

(Mike Mills, Dave Galehouse and Mark Cavanaugh Photos)

Lexington, MA- The Chiefs and Blue Sox will open their best of five Championship Series at Lexington High School on Wednesday night at 8:00 PM. The Blue Sox earned their ticket to the finals by coming from behind to beat the upstart Reading Bulldogs 4-3 on Monday night in Game Five of the their semifinal series. The Chiefs won their Game Five against the Wakefield Merchants on Sunday afternoon, 5-3.

Game Two of the series will be also be played in Lexington on Thursday at 8:00 PM. The Chiefs will host Game Three at Pine Banks Park, on the Malden/Melrose line on Friday at 7:45 PM. The schedule for Games 4 or 5, if needed, will be posted soon.

The Blue Sox and Chiefs are back in familiar territory as championships have been synonymous with both franchises. For the Chiefs, it will be their twenty-fourth trip to a championship series since 1960. The Hosmer-Andre Chiefs franchise has won seventeen previous crowns. Five were won by Manager Lenny Dempsey, eight by Joe O'Donnell, and four by present manager Chuck Andre. Both Dempsey and O'Donnell were inducted as charter members of the ICL's Hall of Fame last November. The Chiefs were named the ICL's "Team of Decade" for the 1970's and 1990's. They also received special recognition for the 1960's, when they won five titles when participating primarily in the then rival Suburban Twi-League.

Rick DeAngelis

The Blue Sox have been the dominant team in the Intercity League since 1998, when they succeeded the Chiefs to the title after the Medford based club won their fourth crown of the decade in 1997. Their initial 1998 championship started a run that has seen Rick DeAngelis' club ring up eight titles in the last thirteen seasons, including the last four in a row, and six of the last seven beginning in 2004. The only interruption of the Blue Sox streak was in 2006, when they were upset by the Watertown Reds in the semifinals. Last season the Blue Sox defeated the Reds in the Intercity League's Championship Series. The Blue Sox were named as the ICL's "Team of the Decade" for 2000-2009.

Surprisingly, the Chiefs and Blue Sox have met only one previous time in the Championship Series. In 2009, the Blue Sox overcame a 1-0 Chiefs lead in the series, to win the title three games to one.