Andre Chiefs

Medford, MA- J.P. Pollard drilled a bases clearing sixth inning double to left-center field to break a 3-3 tie and give the Chiefs a hard fought 6-3 win over the Medford Americans at Playstead Park on Wednesday night. 

The Chiefs squandered a brief 3-0 fourth inning lead but came back and recorded their third win in four attempts so far this week. 

Chiefs’ starter Dan Lozeau and his counterpart Lee Jamison both threw blanks over the first three frames as the game was scoreless heading into the top of the fourth.  

Jeff Bercume got things started in the Chiefs fourth inning when he drilled a long triple off the base of the fence in right. Jamison got Justin Crisafulli to flyout to short right for the first out and then walked rookie Dario Pizzano to put runners on the corners with one out. Veteran Brian Macrina then delivered Bercume with the first of his three hits on the night to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead. Mike Andre then flew to left for the inning’s second out. Peter Copa followed and he made it 2-zip with a single that scored Pizzano. Pollard then hit a hard one-hopper that handcuffed second baseman Monte Marrocco allowing Macrina to score making it 3-0. 

The Americans came right back to knot things up in the bottom of the inning. Ageless veteran Mike Kalfopoulos showed why he was once the most feared hitter in the ICL when he lined a Lozeau fastball into the right-center field gap for a bases clearing three RBI double that scored KC McCarthy (single), Mike Delponte (walk) and Steve Napier (single).  

It stayed a 3-3 contest until the Chiefs put up the go ahead runs in the sixth. Macrina lined his third single of the game to left and Andre followed with another single to left-center. Copa then dropped a perfect bunt that went for a single and loaded the bases. Pollard stepped up and quickly emptied them with his stand-up double. 

Lozeau struck out the side in order in the sixth and Medford reliever Ryan McNiff held the Chiefs scoreless in the seventh. 

Things got a bit interesting in the bottom of the seventh before Lozeau closed things out. Kalfopoulos grounded out to Mike Barbati at second, who made a nice play in short right to throw him out by a step and Mike Ferriero flew to Pizzano in right for out number two. Lozeau then issued a walk to Jay Olson and Mike Burgoyne pinch ran for him. Marrocco then singled to deep short to bring Steve Tahmoush to the plate representing the tying run. Lozeau ended it when he got Tahmoush to pop up to Barbati at second base.

Lozeau, who evens his record at 2-2 with the win, allowed five hits and struck out six. Jamison (2-3) took the loss for the Americans. 

The Chiefs will send right-hander Ryan McNeill (1-1) to the mound on Thursday when they return home to meet the Mooney Dental Tanners at Tufts University at 6:00 PM.

East Boston, MA- Anthony Del Prete outdueled rookie Rob Machado as the Bombers edged the Chiefs 2-0 at East Boston Stadium.

Del Prete scattered three hits and struck out three while raising his season mark to 3-0 and lowering his ERA to 0.50. Del Prete has been beaten only once in fifteen decisions (11-1-3) since returning to the ICL in 2008 after a four year professional career. He spent one season in the Northeast League and three years pitching for Evansville of the Frontier League.

Former Harvard star Josh Klimkiewicz's second inning single and Joe Papa's bases loaded walk in the fourth accounted for the two Bomber RBI's.

Machado pitched well in his first ICL start despite taking the loss. The UMass-Amherst righty via Malden Catholic surrendered just four hits, struck out five and walked five.

Singles from Dario Pizzano (2nd inning), Peter Copa (3rd inning) and Jeff Bercume (6th inning) was all the offense the Chiefs could manage against Del Prete.

The Chiefs travel to Playstead Park in Medford on Wednesday night when the take on the Medford Americans at 6:00 PM. Dan Lozeau (1-2) will get the start for the Chiefs while the Americans will counter with righthanded veteran Lee Jamison (2-2).

The Chiefs return home to Tufts University on Thursday when the host the Mooney Dental Tanners. Ryan McNeill (1-1) is the expected starter for the Chiefs against the Tanners.

Medford, MA- You knew when you saw the pitching match-up at Tufts University on Monday evening that this was going to be a low scoring, pitching dominated game. 

Taking the mound for the visiting Wakefield Merchants was right-hander Jarrod Marchesi, the former Everett High and Bentley College ace, who just concluded his collegiate career with a 19-12 record. He was named all Northeast-10 as a junior when he went 8-3 for the Falcons. 

In the other corner was the Chiefs’ Mike DiCato, the former Malden Catholic all-American who led his team to a 2003 state championship and just wrapped up his four year stint at UMass-Amherst with 59 appearances, including wins over Boston College as well as Harvard in the 2008 Beanpot at Fenway Park. 

Neither Marchesi nor DiCato would disappoint on this night. 

The Chiefs eventually came away with a come from behind 3-1 win, tallying three times off Marchesi in the bottom of the sixth. The big blow came off the bat of All-East selection Jeff Bercume of Merrimack who delivered a huge two RBI double. 

After both Marchesi and DiCato retired the respective sides in order in the first inning, the Merchants took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. UMass-Lowell cleanup man Taylor Von Kriegenberg led things off with a single down the left field line. Matt Russo pushed him to second on a nice play by Chiefs second baseman Mike Baillargeon who ranged far to his left to get him by half a step. Alex LiDonni then moved Von Kriegenberg to third with another infield grounder to JP Pollard at first. Von Kriegneberg completed his tour of the bases when he scored on a DiCato wild pitch to give the Merchants the lead. 

That run looked as if it may stand up as both pitchers tossed blanks over the next four innings. Marchesi surrendered a just second inning single to Bob McCarthy and third inning hits to Pollard and torrid Brendan Pyburn (double). In innings three through six, DiCato only allowed a single to Sam Choate in the third and a walk to Columbia outfielder Jason Banos in the fifth. 

The Chiefs finally broke through against Marchesi and won the game in the bottom of the sixth. Rookie Hal Landers (Wheaton) got things going with an opposite field single to left. Pyburn followed and after two unsuccessful sacrifice bunt attempts, lined a single to right center with Landers stopping at second. Baillargeon, the second team all-American selection from Assumption, followed with a hard shot right at shortstop Josh Band (Rollins). Band knocked the liner down and recovered in time to force Pyburn at second with Landers taking third on the play. Bercume then provided the night’s biggest noise when he drilled a Marchesi pitch to deep left-center for a double, scoring both Landers and Pyburn and giving the Chiefs the lead. Bercume took third on the throw to the plate and that proved to be big when Justin Crisafulli gave DiCato an insurance run and a 3-1 lead when he plated Bercume with a sacrifice fly to left. 

DiCato got Von Kriengenberg to fly to Landers in right for the first out of the seventh. Russo was next and he reached on an infield single. DiCato then closed things out when he got LiDonni to bounce into a 4-6-3 doubleplay. 

With the complete game, eighty pitch outing, DiCato raised his season mark to 3-1 and lowered his ERA to 2.52. Marchesi (0-2), struck out four and allowed six hits. 

Chiefs Chatter….The Chiefs will send rookie right-hander Rob Machado to the mound to make his first ICL start when they travel to East Boston Stadium to meet the Bombers on Tuesday night at 8:00 PM. Machado worked three impressive innings in relief against the Americans on Friday. The former Malden Catholic star made two starts for UMass-Amherst this spring against UConn and Northeastern……Shortstop Brendan Pyburn of Merrimack has been on fire at the plate over the last week going 9 for his last 15, including a home run and three doubles. With the hot streak, the former Bishop Fenwick star has raised his average to a lofty .354….Catcher Bob “Bobo” McCarthy has moved into the ICL’s top five in the batting race, currently hitting an even .400 (16 for 40), and is currently enjoying a seven game hitting streak….Former Boston College star and Boston Red Sox farmhand Steve Langone made a nice grab of a Justin Crisafulli pop up in short right field in the second inning. The veteran second baseman is hitting .261 so far this season for the Merchants….Wakefield is off on Tuesday and hosts the Bombers at Walsh Field on Wednesday at 6:00 PM…Following Tuesday’s game at East Boston the Chiefs travel to Playstead Park in Medford on Wednesday at 6:00 PM before returning home to host the Mooney Dental Tanners on Thursday….The 2009 ICL all-star team is expected to be announced on Wednesday. The annual ICL-Boston Park League all-star game will be held this Sunday at Lexington starting at 2:00 PM…..     

Medford, MA- Lefty Dylan Ellis (Gloucester, MA/Merrimack) threw a complete game two-hitter and his mates supported him with nine hits as the Chiefs ended a three game skid with a 5-0 win over the Testa Corp. Bombers at Tufts University on Sunday afternoon. 

Ellis (2-0), was in command from start to finish as he struck out six and did not allow a Bombers base runner to get any further than second base.  

Ellis retired two Bombers hitters in the first inning before experiencing a little wildness and walking Josh Klimkiewicz and Nick Martinho in succession before getting Mike Adessa to pop up. 

The Chiefs took the lead in the home half of the first inning. Red hot Brendan Pyburn (7 for his last 11) got things going with an infield single off Bombers starter Mike Hashem. Mike Baillargeon flew to right for the first out and the Chiefs then executed a perfect hit and run with Jeff Bercume singling to right with Pyburn taking third. That paid immediate dividends when cleanup man Justin Crisafulli lofted a sacrifice fly to center scoring Pyburn.  

The Bombers got two more men on after two were out in the second when Steve Buitkus singled and Steve Wadsworth worked a walk. Ellis got tough and got Papa to pop up and Jay Defillippo to ground to Baillargeon at second base to end the inning. 

The Chiefs added three runs in the bottom of the second to jump the lead out to 4-0. Hashem got the first two outs of the inning before walking JP Pollard. Rookie Hal Landers then singled to right and Pyburn delivered his second single of the day, this time a RBI single to center that scored Pollard. Baillargeon followed and the he showed why he was the Northeast 10 Player of the Year this past spring when he uncorked a long triple to left center scoring Landers and Pyburn. 

Ellis worked a one-two-three third inning and the Chiefs gave him another run in the bottom of the frame. Catcher Bob McCarthy singled to right center and Mike Andre moved him to third with a long double to the 379” foot sign in right-center. Veteran Brian Macrina then delivered a sacrifice fly that plated McCarthy with the Chiefs fifth run of the afternoon. 

Ellis cruised through the fourth and allowed a single to Defillippo in the fifth. Hashem, the former UConn southpaw, settled down a bit and tossed a zero in the fourth and escaped a fifth inning jam.  

In the Chiefs fifth, Andre drew a full count, two out walk and Macrina singled to right-center. Peter Copa of UMass-Amherst came on to run for Andre but Hashem got Landers to ground sharply to second to end the threat. 

Ellis retired the heart of the Bombers order in succession in the top of the sixth. Suffolk University standout Dan Delia came on in relief of Hashem and worked a scoreless sixth. 

Buitkus reached on a throwing error by Copa to open the Testa seventh but was quickly erased at second on a Pyburn unassisted to Pollard doubleplay off the bat of Wadsworth. Papa then reached on Copa’s second miscue of the inning but Ellis ended the day when he got Defillippo to pop up to Baillargeon. 

With the win the Chiefs go to 7-4-1 on the year. Ellis lowered his ERA to 1.56 and picked up his eighth career win. 

Chiefs Chatter….Former UMass star Mike DiCato will take the mound in search of his third win of the season when the Chiefs host the Wakefield Merchants at Tufts on Monday at 6:00 PM…The Chiefs got some bad news in the pitching department when it was learned that Assumption righty Joe Martini will be lost for the remainder of the season with a labrum injury…..

Lexington, MA- They could not be too sad to leave Lexington last night. 

For the second time in a row the Chiefs were blanked by the Blue Sox, this time to the tune of 11-0. On Monday, the Chiefs were shutout 3-0. 

This one was over early as the Sox got to Chiefs starter and loser Dan Lozeau for six runs on eight hits sending him to an early exit after just 1.1 innings of work.  

The Sox scored three times in the first inning on base hits from Dan Graham, Steve Gath, Ross Curley and Jeff Nolet. They added another three spot in the second when Anthony Santos, Ben Hewett, and again Graham and Gath, all recorded hits, sandwiched around a sacrifice fly from Pete Frates. Lefty Chris Labriola came on for Lozeau with one away and restored a bit of order getting the last two batters of the inning. 

The Sox bats kept coming and they roughed up Labriola for a couple of more runs in the third that jumped the lead to 8-zip. Four consecutive singles from Tom Haugh, Santos, Hewett and Frates, a Graham sacrifice fly and another Gath single and it was lights out for the Chiefs. 

Connor Bishop worked the fourth and the Sox lead went to 9-0 on a Nolet double, a walk and sacrifice fly by Dan Hughes. Matt Boleski, making his first mound appearance of the season, worked a scoreless fifth for the Chiefs and Chris Foundas came on to go in the sixth. Lexington wrapped up the scoring with a pair of runs off Foundas courtesy of an Anthony Coscia two RBI double. 

Steve Bodnar (3-0) picked up the win for the Blue Sox working the first five innings and scattering three hits. Curt Everett threw a scoreless sixth and Rollins College star Marc Hewett wrapped things up for the Sox in the seventh. 

Brendan Pyburn collected two doubles for the Chiefs and Bob McCarthy, Mike Andre, Dario Pizzano, Mike Barbati and Peter Copa (infield) all added singles as they were limited to seven hits. 

The Blue Sox are back in action on Friday hosting the Bombers at 8:00 PM and the Chiefs return to Tufts University and entertain the Americans in a 6:00 PM start.