Andre Chiefs

Medford, MA- Mike DiCato picked up his first win of the season with six innings of three-hit pitching and shortstop Brendan Pyburn went three for three with three RBI’s to lead the Chiefs past the Americans 6-2 at Tufts University on Friday evening.

DiCato and Americans starter Steve Albano of Babson both enjoyed 1-2-3 innings in the first.

Mike DelPonte led off the American’s second inning with a single but DiCato struck out Matt Howard and Mike Kalfopoulos and got Matt Sheehan to ground out to Mike Gedman unassisted at first to end the inning.

The Chiefs took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second when catcher Matt Anderson reached on a one out fielder’s choice and Hal Landers sent him to third with a gap shot double to right-center. Justin Crisafulli then drew a walk to load the bases with two away. Brian Macrina followed and hit a grounder to Mike Addesa at third but the speedy Landers won a footrace to the bag giving Macrina a RBI fielder’s choice and sending Anderson home for a 1-0 lead. Pyburn made it 3-0 when he lined a two RBI single to center scoring Landers and Crisafulli.

The Americans answered with run in the top of the third.  Steve Napier was hit by a DiCato pitch, Adessa singled and Jose Polanco moved them both up a base with a sacrifice bunt. K.C. McCarthy then delivered Napier with a sacrifice fly to center to make it a 3-1 game. DiCato averted further scoring when he got Charlie Pagliarulo to ground to Mike Andre at third base.

The Chiefs got that run right back in the bottom of the third when Gedman started things with an opposite field single. Peter Copa followed and drew his second of three walks on the night. Andre then moved Gedman and Copa up a base with a sacrifice bunt. Anderson then grounded to Adessa at third who threw him out at first. Gedman delayed coming home until Adessa released the throw and then slid across with the Chiefs fourth run.

DelPonte came around to score on a wild pitch and a couple of infield groundouts, after he was hit by a DiCato pitch leading off the fourth inning, making it 4-2.

The Chiefs closed out the scoring a couple of runs in bottom of the fourth. Macrina reached second on an infield throwing error and scored on a Pyburn RBI single running the lead to 5-2. Pyburn then stole second, went to third and eventually scored on a couple of wild pitches making it 6-2 and chasing Albano from the mound in favor of Ryan McNiff.

DiCato retired the Americans side in order in the fifth and was aided by a 4-6-3 double play in the sixth following a Pagliarulo leadoff single.

Tufts southpaw Kevin Gilchrist (Medford, MA) made his ICL debut in the seventh; retiring the only two batters he faced before giving way to Rob Machado who ended the evening’s proceedings when he got pinch hitter Mike Burgoyne to fly out to end the game.

Chiefs Notebook…..Peter Copa walked in each of his three plate appearances. The UMass-Amherst standout also accounted for the final four putouts of the game on fly balls to rightfield…..Worcester State closer Kevin Hayes worked a scoreless sixth inning for the Americans. The side-armer was recently named all-New England D-3 and appeared in NEIBA all-star game at Fenway Park last Sunday…..The Chiefs play at Reading’s Morton Field on Sunday at 1:30 PM. It will the Chiefs first trip ever to play the expansion Bulldogs….Lefty Tim Dunphy will make his first start in a Chiefs uniform on Sunday. The former Cambridge, MA and Brandeis University star led the now defunct Cassell Club to the ICL championship in 2006 before signing professionally to pitch in Europe….

Medford, MA- Lefty Dylan Ellis (Gloucester, MA/Merrimack) made his second quality start in five days, this time throwing a two-hit gem, and Peter Copa (Malden, MA/UMass-Amherst) was a one man wrecking crew as he hit a three run homer and drove in five runs, to lead the Chiefs past the Arlington Trojans in Intercity League action on Tuesday evening at Tufts University.

The Chiefs jumped out to a 1-0 first inning lead when former UMass star Mike Gedman drove home Mike Baillargeon (Worcester, MA/Assumption) who had singled and stole second.

Baillargeon and Copa were at it again in the third as their doubles pushed the lead to 2-0.

The lead went to 4-0 in the fourth on singles from Bob McCarthy, who was 3-3 on the night, and once again, Baillargeon and Copa.

One more time for Copa as he put the game away in the bottom of the sixth when he launched a three run home over the 367’ foot sign in left-center.

Ellis, now 2-0 on the season, allowed singles in the first and the seventh innings and struck out five.

The Chiefs are off on Wednesday. They travel to East Boston Stadium on Thursday to meet the Testa Corp. Bombers at 8:00 PM.

Chiefs Notebook….Lefty Ryan O’Rourke (Worcester, MA/Merrimack), who worked three scoreless innings for the Chiefs in the final exhibition game in Lexington last Wednesday, was selected by the Minnesota Twins in Round 13 of Tuesday’s Major League Baseball draft…..Mike Gedman is off to a torrid start going 6 for 9, including two doubles......The Chiefs will send southpaw Tim Dunphy to the mound on Thursday. The former Brandeis star pitched professionally for the Namur Angels in 2007…. Following Thursday’s game, the Chiefs return home on Friday to host the Americans at Tufts University at 6:00 PM….B.T.

Lexington, MA- If you missed the bottom of the third inning, you missed all of the action in Monday's game between the Chiefs and the Lexington Blue Sox.

In an old fashioned pitcher's duel between the 2009 ICL finalists, Lexington's Drew Brzozowski outdueled the Chiefs hard luck loser Jared Freni in a 2-0 Blue Sox win under the lights at Lexington High School.

Both pitchers allowed four hits and each struck out seven. Brzozowski went the seven inning distance while Freni went 5.2 innings before giving way to Rob Machado who struck out the only batter he faced.

The Sox picked up thier two runs in the third. With one away, veteran catcher Eric Poling lined a single to right and went to second on a wild pitch. Dan Capra followed with a hard hit ball to the right of Chiefs second baseman Mike Baillargeon that skipped into right-center for a basehit and a RBI giving Lexington a 1-0 lead. The throw to the plate allowed Capra to go to second and that proved to be big. Pete Frates followed with a slow roller to Brendan Pyburn at short. Pyburn charged the ball and his throw skipped by Mike Gedman at first that was scored as a hit and a throwing error, allowing Capra to score an unearned run.

The Chiefs only real threats came in the opening two innings. In the Chiefs first, Hal Landers walked but was caught leaning off first and picked off. After Baillargeon flew to right, Gedman drilled a long double to left center. Peter Copa then reached on a dribbler between the mound and third to put runners on the corners with two out. Brzozowski got out of the jam when he struck out Mike Andre to end the inning.

In the second, a Pyburn one out single and a walk to Justin Crisafulli gave the Chiefs a couple of baserunners with one away. Brzozowski escaped when he struck out Brian Macrina swinging and then got Landers to ground out to Tom Haugh at first.

That was all she wrote for the Chiefs as a Baillargeon single in third inning was all Brzozowski let up the rest of the way. The Brandeis product retired the last 14 Chiefs he faced in a row.

Freni was equally as impressive, as two of the four hits he surrendered were of the infield variety. The hard throwing righty got the Sox side in order in the first, second, fourth and fifth innings. 

With the win the Blue Sox improve to 3-0 while the Chiefs fall to 1-1.

Both the Chiefs and Blue Sox are back in action on Tuesday. The Chiefs return home to host the Arlington Trojans at Tufts University starting at 6:00 PM. The Blue Sox will look for their fourth straight win when they host the Reading Bulldogs at 8:00 PM.
-B.T.

Medford, MA- Lefty Dylan Ellis worked 5.2 strong innings to pick up the win and UMass-Amherst teammates Mike Gedman and Peter Copa provided most of the offense as the Chiefs turned back the Wakefield Merchants 6-3 in their ICL opener on Friday night at Tufts University.

Ellis, who chalked up his second straight opening day score, tired a bit in the sixth and needed a little help from Mike DiCato who turned in 1.1 innings of two hit, four strikeout pitching to record the save.

Ellis got the Merchants side in order in the top of the first and the Chiefs wasted no time in grabbing a 2-0 off Merchants starter James Ramsey of Trinity College.  Brian Macrina got things going with a one out single to left and Mike Gedman followed with bloop single just inside the left field line. Peter Copa delivered them both when he drilled Ramsey’s first pitch into the left-centerfield gap for a two RBI double and a 2-0 Chiefs lead.  Mike Andre then drew a walk but Ramsey, who was 17-3 at Trinity over the last three years, averted more trouble when he got Justin Crisafulli to fly out and Brendan Pyburn to ground sharply to Cameron Kneeland unassisted at first.

Ellis got the Merchants 1-2-3 again in the second and the Chiefs made it 3-0 in the bottom of the inning when Gedman singled home Bob McCarthy who had walked.

A John Davison one out single was all the Merchants could muster of Ellis in the top of the third. Ramsey escaped a two out, bases loaded (Crisafulli and Pyburn singles, Matt Boleski HBP) jam in bottom of the third to keep Wakefield in range at 3-0.

Ellis threw another blank at the Merchants in the fourth and the Chiefs lead went to 5-0 in the home half of the inning. Macrina drew a walk and came from first to score when Gedman lined a long double to the left-center field gap. Copa then followed with an infield single that pushed Gedman to third. Crisafulli’s slow roller (fielder’s choice, RBI) plated Gedman with the fifth Chiefs run of the evening.

Ellis surrendered fifth inning singles to Steve Langone and Davison but kept the Merchants off the board when he struck out Dom Sorrentino and got Dale Crispin on an infield grounder.

The Chiefs picked up an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth off Wakefield reliever Connor Mahon to jump their lead to 6-0.

The Merchants got right back into the game in the sixth. Ellis got the first out when Matt Russo flew deep to center. Kneeland then singled, Sorrentino was hit by a pitch, and Scott Searles added another single to load the bases with one out. Ellis got Dave Orlowitz to ground to Andre at third who came home with the ball to force Kneeland for the inning’s second out but keeping the bases jammed. Former Boston College star and Red Sox draftee Steve Langone quickly unloaded them when he deposited a  three run double to deep right-center putting  the Merchants right back into the thick of things at 6-3. DiCato replaced Ellis on the mound and he stranded Langone at second when he struck out Davison swinging to end the frame.

The Chiefs came up empty in the bottom of the sixth and the Merchants made things a bit interesting in the top of the seventh. DiCato struck out Dom Sorrentino for the first out but consecutive singles from Crispin and Russo brought the tying run to plate. DiCato reached back and got Kneeland swinging and Mike Sorrentino looking to preserve Ellis’ win and pick up the save.

Ellis, who struck out four and allowed six hits in his 5.2 innings of work, picked up his 12^th career win in a Chiefs uniform.

The Chiefs are off until Monday when they travel to Lexington at 8:00 PM to meet the Blue Sox in a reunion of the 2009 ICL Championship Series participants.

See www.intercityleaguebaseball.com for Game Box Score