Andre Chiefs

Reading, MA- Rob Machado spun a complete game five-hitter and the Chiefs backed him with five early runs to win their second game in Reading in as many nights, 5-1 at Morton Field on Wednesday.

Machado was in control from start to finish, striking out nine, in his first start of the season. The righty, from UMass-Amherst via Malden Catholic, had made seven previous mound appearances out of the bullpen this year.

The Chiefs jumped on Bulldog starter Brian Millea (1-1) for three runs in the top of the first inning. Leadoff man Paul Yanakopulos flew out and Bob McCarthy drew a full count walk. Tim Dempsey then flew to the warning track in right for the second out of the inning. Justin Crisafulli drew a walk and Mike Andre (photo left) followed and gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead when he doubled to left-center scoring McCarthy and sending Crisafulli to third. With Tony Deshler at the plate, Millea uncorked a wild pitch allowing Crisafulli to score, making it 2-0. Deshler singled on the next pitch scoring Andre, staking Machado to a 3-0 lead.

Machado recorded two strikeouts in each of the first two innings and the Chiefs lead increased to 5-0 in the top of the third when they scored two unearned runs. Andre drew a two out walk and Deshler sent him to third with a double off the base of the fence in left-center. The Chiefs caught a break when rookie Sean Glabicky struck out on a pitch in the dirt and the throw to get him at first sailed into rightfield allowing both Andre and Deshler to score.

Machado was in cruise control until the Bulldogs picked up their only run of the night in the bottom of the fifth on a single by Steve Buitkus, a catcher’s interference with John Halsey at the plate, and a RBI single from T.J. Murphy.

In the sixth, Machado allowed a two out single to Mike Russo, who was promptly thrown out trying to steal second by McCarthy.

Machado got the Bulldogs in order in the bottom of the seventh, which included a fine defensive play by second baseman Mike Barbati for the first out.

Deshler (pictured left) and Andre each reached base three times for the Chiefs.

With the win, Machado lowered his ERA to 2.00 and has now struck out 15 batters in 14 innings in his eight mound appearances.

The Chiefs are off on Thursday and will travel to Ferullo Field in Woburn for an 8:00 PM Friday date with the Mooney Dental Tanners.

Jared Freni (3-2) is expected to get the start for the Chiefs.

Reading, MA- Lefty Kevin Gilchrist won his third straight decision and his Tufts University teammate Pat O’Donnell retired the last six batters of the game, to record the save, as the Chiefs beat the Bulldogs 5-3 at Reading’s Morton Field.

The Chiefs staked Gilchrist to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Tim Dempsey singled with two outs, stole second, and scored on Justin Crisafulli’s RBI single.

The lead went to 4-0 in the top of the second inning. Tony Deshler drew a walk from Bulldog starter Andrew Bishop. Mike Barbati reached on a slow roller to shortstop that was scored an error. Malden Catholic Rookie Sean Glabicky, in his first ICL at bat, moved the runners up to second and third with a perfect sacrifice bunt. Tim Dunphy followed and was hit by a Bishop pitch to load the bases. Another Malden Catholic rookie, Paul Yanakopulos then hit a long sacrifice fly to right scoring Deshler and giving the Chiefs a 2-0 lead. With runners at first and third, Bishop balked home Barbati with the third run. Yet another Malden Catholic rookie, Justin Sencabaugh, then delivered Dunphy with a line single to left-center to make it 4-0.

The Bulldogs closed the gap to 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth on Steve Panza’s RBI double.

It became a one run game in the bottom of the fifth when Reading came up with two unearned runs on an outfield error and singles from T.J. Murphy, Dave Dellorfon and Bishop.

O’Donnell came on to start the sixth for Gilchrist and retired the side in order on two fly balls and an infield popup.

The Chiefs added an insurance run in top of the seventh inning. Glabicky led things off with a walk and Matt Anderson singled. Yanakopulos then dropped a bunt single that loaded the bases. Matt Boleski, then pinch hit for Senacabaugh (see Chiefs Notes below) and struck out. Dempsey followed with a sacrifice fly to left scoring Glabicky to make it 5-3.

O’Donnell preserved the win when he got the side in order in the bottom of the seventh on a strikeout, a fly to Boleski in right, and a grounder to Yanakopulos at shortstop.

Gilchrist (3-0), worked five innings, allowed just one earned run, surrendered five hits and struck out three.

The Chiefs and Bulldogs are right back at it on Wednesday night in Reading at 6:00 PM.

Wakefield, MA- Former Bentley standout Jarrod Marchesi (5-1) went the distance, allowing ten hits, to get the Merchants past the Chiefs 4-3 at Walsh Field.

Marchesi pitched out of trouble all evening long, including a bases loaded jam in the top of the seventh inning. The right-hander was aided by some fine Merchant glove work as the hosts turned in three doubleplays.

Dave Orlowitz, John Zageria, Scott Searles and Mike Sorrentino all had hits in the bottom of the second inning when the Merchants scored all of their runs of Chiefs starter Dylan Ellis (6-2), who allowed six hits and struck out four.

The Chiefs made it game when they scored three runs in the fifth on singles from Matt Anderson, Paul Yanokopulos and Tony Deshler to go along with an infield error by the Merchants.

Mike Gedman reached base four times for the Chiefs with three singles and a walk.

The Chiefs travel to Morton Field in Reading to meet the Bulldogs on Tuesday at 6:00 PM.

Medford, MA- With all due respect to Reds righty Karl Alexander, who threw a tidy five hit shutout gem, the Chiefs turned in another anemic offensive performance that led to a 2-0 defeat at Huskins Field on Saturday afternoon. It was the third time the locals were shutout in their last five games as they have only scored three times over that same five game time frame.

The lineup shuffling continued as the once potent Chiefs attack struggles to find some offensive support for its still powerful pitching staff. They are minus no less than six starters from the opening day lineup and no less than eight regulars from last season’s championship finalists.

Currently out of the lineup are Mike Baillargeon, who signed professionally with the Can-Am League, Jeff Bercume who signed with the Oakland A’s, Dario Pizzano who signed with the North Shore Shore Navigators, Hal Landers who signed with Front Royal Cardinals, Brendan Pyburn who has been out with injuries for six weeks, Peter Copa who is done for the season after undergoing surgery last Monday and Brain Macrina who is still out with a nagging hamstring problem. Although still strong, the pitching staff has not avoided the injury bug or the defection scenario with Dan Lozeau (elbow), Mike DiCato (shoulder) and Isaac Oakley (hamstring) out with injuries to go along with Eric Perrault (signed with North Adams Steeplecats) and Ryan O’Rourke (signed with the Minnesota Twins) gone from the opening day roster.

Overcoming two, three, four or even five injuries or defections certainly seemed possible with the depth and talent of this edition of the Chiefs over the first half of the 2010 season. But when the numbers start to approach the ten, eleven and twelve level, the odds of overcoming that scenario becomes increasingly insurmountable.

It was the same old story on Saturday, just as every other game over the last two weeks, when the Chiefs got another outstanding pitching performance, this time from Jared Freni, but just could not muster any offensive support. Alexander (2-3) allowed just five hits and cruised to a complete game shutout win. The Reds won the game in the top of the seventh when pinch-hitter Brain Casey led off with a single. Leadoff man Sam Sager followed with another single to left. Veteran Luke Begley then attempted a sacrifice bunt which first baseman Matt Anderson fielded and threw Casey out at third. Lefty Tim Dunphy then replaced Freni, who had thrown 102 pitches, he and got Chris Burke to pop out. Begley stole second and with the count 2-2, Sean Callahan delivered a check swing single to left, scoring both Sager and Begley, giving the Reds the win.

Alexander (2-3) from Bates College, struck out five and did not issue a walk. Freni (3-2), allowed six hits and struck out seven in his 6.1 innings of work.

"Obviously we are struggling to find some consisent offense", said Chiefs manager Chuck Andre. "Despite the injuries and the signings, which by the way, we are pleased because its shows the caliber of player this franchise attracts, we still have some serious veteran bats in this lineup that we need to step up and carry us into the playoffs", he added.

The Chiefs will attempt to rebound on Sunday when they send staff ace Dylan Ellis (6-1) to the hill against the Merchants at Walsh Field in Wakefield in a 5:30 PM start. -B.Tilman

East Boston, MA- Southpaw Kevin Gilchrist of Tufts University turned in a lights out, four inning, one hit relief performance as the undermanned Chiefs shutout the Testa Corp. Bombers 2-0 at East Boston Stadium on Tuesday night.

Gilchrist came on to begin the fourth inning for Chiefs starter Jared Freni with the game tied at 0-0 and came up huge, allowing only an infield single, as he retired 12 of the 13 batters he faced.  

Freni and Bombers hard luck loser Glen Misho traded zeros over the first three frames. Freni struck out six batters but was not at his sharpest as he walked two, allowed four singles and hit two batters.

The Chiefs threatened to score in the top of the first inning. After Misho struck out Bob McCarthy and got Paul Yanakopulos to ground out, Tim Dempsey reached on an infield error and stole second. Rookie Justin Sencabaugh then hit an infield single to deep shortstop to put runners on the corners with two out. With Mike Andre at the plate, Misho uncorked a wild pitch and Dempsey tried to score but was tagged out on a nice recovery by catcher Derek Sturkel.

Freni struck out Mark O’Flynn and Pete John to open the bottom of the first before allowing consecutive singles to Josh Klimkiewicz and the red hot Mike Addesa. The count went full on Stan DeMartinis and, with the runners in motion a tad early, Freni stepped off the rubber and caught Klimkiewicz going to third with Andre applying the tag.

Misho got the Chiefs 1-2-3 in the second (Andre flyout, Anderson and Boleski groundouts).

The Bombers missed a huge scoring opportunity in the bottom of the second inning when Freni pitched out of a bases loaded, nobody out fix. DeMartinis got things started when he led off the inning with a single. Freni hit Anthony Serino with a pitch and walked Lamarre Rey to fill the bases. Freni reached back and came up big, striking out Chris Smart and Sturkel for the first two outs, before escaping the jam when he got O’Flynn to fly to Sencabaugh in shallow left.

Misho stayed tough in the top of the third, striking out Eric Rosenberg and getting Mike Barbati on a groundout to Klimkiewicz at first, before walking McCarthy. The game moved to the bottom of the third when Misho got Yanakopulos to ground sharply to Addesa at third.

The Bombers kept the pressure on in the bottom of the third but Freni again denied them, pitching out of another bases loaded predicament. Freni hit John with a fastball and Klimkiewicz followed with a single. He then recorded another huge strikeout, getting the dangerous Addesa swinging. DeMartinis followed and drew a base on balls to load the bases with one out. Freni got the second large strikeout of the inning, and his sixth of the night, when he K’d Serino. Still not out of the inning, he kept it a scoreless game when he got Rey to ground to Barbati at second.

Misho again got the Chiefs in order in the fourth when Dempsey grounded out, Sencabaugh struck out and Andre flew out.

Gilchrist came out of the bullpen to start the bottom of the fourth and immediately seized control of the game retiring the Bombers in order, including a strikeout of Sturkel.

The Chiefs took advantage of a little Misho wildness and played some small ball to score the game’s only runs in the top of the fifth. Anderson drew a full count walk and Boleski was hit by a pitch while attempting to sacrifice, putting runners at first and second with no outs. Rosenberg then laid down a text book sacrifice bunt, moving the runners to second and third with one away. Barbati followed and hit a sharp grounder to the drawn in Klimkiewicz at first for the second out with the runners forced to hold. McCarthy was next and he just beat out an infield single on a bang-bang play at first, allowing Anderson to score the game’s first run. Yanakopulos followed with a line RBI single to center scoring Boleski with the second run. Misho averted further trouble when he struck out Dempsey swinging to end the inning.

In the bottom of the fifth, Gilchrist got John to ground to Yanakopulos at shortstop, struck out Klimkiewicz, and got Addesa to fly to Sencabaugh, as he worked his second straight 1-2-3 frame.  Misho returned the favor and set the Chiefs down in order in the top of the sixth.

Gilchrist stayed poised and perfect in the sixth, striking out DeMartinis and Serino both looking for the first two outs before Rey flew out to left, the ninth consecutive batter he retired.

With two outs in the top of the seventh, the Chiefs got a runner in scoring position when Barbati drew a walk and went to second on a wild pitch. Misho sent the game into the home half of the seventh at 2-0 when McCarthy grounded out to end the inning.

The Bombers got their first hit off Gilchrist to open the seventh. Smart hit a hard grounder over the third base bag which Andre dove and came up with, but the throw from his knees was half a step late. Unfazed, Gilchrist bore down and got Sturkel on fly to Boleski in right, O’Flynn on a grounder to Yanakopulos at short and ended things when he got John to fly to Dempsey in center.

Gilchrist (2-0) of Medford, MA, picked up the win and combined with Freni, his fellow Malden Cathoilc alum, to strikeout ten batters.

Misho (3-1) of Cathoilc Memorial and UMass-Amherst, allowed just three hits, struck out five and walked three, while suffering his first ICL defeat.