Andre Chiefs

The Chiefs non-league win over the Central New England Baseball Association’s Westford Willows on Sunday was the first time the two teams had ever hooked up. The Chiefs also play an annual game against the CNEBA’s Lunenburg Phillies. This year's game will be held at Lunenburg’s Marshall Park on Sunday (June 21) at 11:00 AM…..The Chiefs first played Lunenberg back in 1994 with Richie Barker on the mound for the Chiefs. With many radar guns popping behind the plate, Barker pitched the Chiefs to a 6-1 win. Following the game Barker signed with Chicago Cubs. Barker’s career spanned seven professional seasons and he made his major league debut for the Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 25, 1999, at the age of 26. The former Malden High and Quinsigamond Community College star appeared in 275 games during his time in pro ball posting an overall record of 20-19 with an ERA of 4.25 in 398 professional innings…..Sunday’s win against Westford was the Chiefs 42^nd win against non-league opponents against just 19 losses dating back to 1989….Rookie outfielder Dario Pizzano will miss Tuesday’s game against Wakefield as he has been chosen to appear in the Eastern Massachusetts High School all-star game at Fraser Field in Lynn. The recent Malden Catholic graduate led the state in hitting this past spring for Steve Freker’s Lancers. Pizzano, who had three hits in the Westford game, will be playing for Columbia University next spring. He gained national notoriety in 2003 when he led the Saugus Americans in a dramatic run during the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA……The first Intercity League fundraiser, raffle and social will be held on Friday, June 19 at the Woburn Sons of Italy starting at 7:00 PM. ICL Umpire in Chief Joe Cacciatore will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the event which is expected to draw a throng of over 500 people. Those needing information should e-mail the Intercity League at IntercityLeague@aol.com. … Former Chiefs catcher Matt Cooney, who signed with the Red Sox in 2007, has returned to Eastern Connecticut State to complete his degree this summer. Cooney spent the last season and a half in the Sox organization playing for Gulf Coast, Greensboro and the Lowell Spinners. The Arlington product is expected to return to the Chiefs in 2010….UMass-Amherst star Jared Freni, who pitched for the Chiefs in 2006, has been very impressive in first two starts for the North Shore Navigators of the NECBL this season. Freni, another former Malden Catholic star, is 2-0 with an ERA of 0.69. He has struck out 20 batters in just 13 innings of work. If he is not chosen in the 2010 MLB draft next spring he is expected to return to the Chiefs pitching staff. He won his only two Chiefs starts as a rookie in 2006 posting a 3.71 ERA in 11.1 innings of work….Another former Chiefs pitcher Jeff DeCarlo just completed his junior season at the University of Michigan. The former St. John’s Prep standout was also with the Chiefs in 2006 before spending the last two seasons in the Great Lakes Collegiate League and the NECBL. This summer DeCarlo is pitching for the Front Royal Cardinals of the Valley Baseball League in Virginia. One of DeCarlo’s teammates on the Cardinals is former Cassell Club and present Bentley star James Roche of Arlington. DeCarlo has made two appearances so far for Front Royal with an ERA of 0.00 in five innings of work. DeCarlo is also expected to return to the Chiefs next summer when his collegiate league eligibility expires….Catcher Matt Lawlor, who hit .398 for the Chiefs last season, remains on the disabled list with a herniated disc in his back. The Dracut, MA, native and 2008 ICL all-star selection also had his college season at UMass-Lowell cut short by the injury….. There is some better news on the injury front as Mike Andre grabbed a couple of at bats in Sunday’s non-league game. Andre underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in early May after completing his senior year at Merrimack College. The two-time ICL all-star is expected back into the lineup soon…. Staff ace Keith Forbes continues to throw and is also expected back in the next couple of weeks….Chiefs catcher Nick Leva of Cambridge, MA has committed to attend the University of Southern New Hampshire in the fall….. Make up dates for the Chiefs three home rainouts will be finalized later this week..... Condolences go out to former ICL umpire Jake Falvey on the passing of his father Jeremiah A. Falvey, Jr. on June 11. Jake also served as the Everett High School Baseball Coach until he moved to Oklahoma with his wife Jill a few years ago …..Bruce Tillman

Malden, MA- The Chiefs broke open a 3-1 game with a dozen fifth inning runs to wallop the two time defending Central New England Baseball Association champions Westford Willows 19-2 at O’Donnell Field on the campus of Malden Catholic on Sunday afternoon. 

Heavy overnight and early morning rains forced the game to be moved from Playstead Park to the artificial surface of O’Donnell Field late Saturday night. 

Merrimack College right-hander Ryan McNeill of Lynnfield, MA, went the first five innings to pick up the victory. UMass-Amherst teammates and former Malden Catholic stars Rob Machado and Mike DiCato each worked two innings to preserve the win. 

After McNeill retired the side in the top of the first the Chiefs grabbed a quick 3-0 lead. Brendan Pyburn led off with a single to center and rookie Dario Pizzano doubled into the left field corner. All-East selection Jeff Bercume then roped a single to right scoring both Pyburn and Pizzano to make it 2-0. Veteran Justin Crisafulli followed with a RBI single to left making it 3-0 Chiefs.  

The Willows scored an unearned run in the top of the second when Assumption College star Derek Migrants led off with a long double to left center. Migrants stole third and scored when the throw from his Assumption teammate Eddie McDonald skipped into left field. 

After giving up the three runs and four hits in the first, Westford starter George Migrants from Fitchburg State settled down and retired the next twelve Chiefs in a row. McNeill was just as effective preserving the 3-1 Chiefs lead heading into the bottom of the fifth when the Chiefs exploded for twelve runs off three Westford pitchers to take a 15-1 lead. A Crisafulli bases clearing triple, Pizzano’s second double of the day and a Nick Leva single were the key hits in the big inning. 

Machado came on to make his first appearance in relief of McNeill to throw a scoreless sixth and seventh innings allowing just a single to Merrimack's Ray Walker while striking out two.

DiCato worked a scoreless eighth before the Chiefs put up four more runs in the bottom of the inning. Singles from Pyburn, Pizzano, Crisafulli and pinch hitter Bill Cataldo, sandwiched around a Bercume two RBI double, ran the Chiefs margin to 19-1. 

The Willows picked up an unearned run in the top of the ninth off DiCato on a double from SNHU’s Chris O’Neil, an infield error and a RBI single from Brandeis’ Terry Deshler. 

McNeil, an all NE-10 selection this past spring, gave up just three hits and struck out three in his first start in a Chiefs uniform. Machado was very sharp allowing just one hit and DiCato gave up two hits as both struck out a couple of batters each. Crisafulli led the Chiefs hit parade with three hits and five RBI and Pizzano had three hits and two RBI. Pyburn and Bercume, who had four RBI’s, chipped in with two hits each. 

Medford, MA- The Chiefs will now take on the two time Central New England Baseball Association Champion Westford Willows in a non-league contest on Sunday at 12:30 PM at O'Donnell Field on the Malden Catholic Campus in Malden, MA. The game was originally scheduled to be played at Playstaed Park.  With the forecast of overnight and early moring rain showers it was decided, with the help of Malden Catholic Head Coach Steve Freker, to move the game to the field turf of Malden Catholic late Saturday night.

O'Donnell Field is located at the rear of the Malden Catholic Campus at 99 Crystal Street, Malden, MA 02148.

The Willows are currently 6-4-1 in the CNEBA this season heading into a doubleheader at the South Central Express in Littleton on Saturday afternoon.

Managed by Brian Thompson, the Willows have won the CNEBA Championship the past two seasons. In both 2007 and 2008 they beat the Metrowest A's from Worcester to claim their league crown.

The Chiefs resume ICL play on Tuesday evening when they host the Wakefield Merchants at Huskins Field on the campus of Tufts University in Medford.

Medford, MA- Former Bryant University star Dan Lozeau tossed a complete game three hitter, retiring the last seventeen batters in a row, and Merrimack’s all everything Jeff Bercume rapped out three hits as the Chiefs blanked the Medford Americans 6-0 at Playstead Park on Wednesday night. The win allowed the Chiefs to remain perfect at 3-0 on the young season.  

It was Lozeau’s first start for the Chiefs since 2007. The Pelham, NH, native spent last summer in the NECBL. He just completed his career at Bryant by picking up his 20^th NCAA win. 

The Chiefs staked Lozeau to a lead in the top of the first against his Bryant teammate Brian O’Neil. Brendan Pyburn reached on an error and went to second on Bob McCarthy’s single to right.  Bercume quickly made it 1-0 Chiefs when he sliced a double to left scoring Pyburn. O’Neil walked Crisafulli to load the bases but escaped further damage when he struck out Hal Landers, got Peter Copa on a groundout to third forcing McCarthy at the plate and getting J.P. Pollard swinging. 

The Americans had their best scoring chance in the bottom of the first. One out singles by Luke Begley and Mike Delponte along with a fielder’s choice put two Medford base runners in scoring position before Lozeau ended the frame when he got Jay Olson to ground out to Pyburn at short. 

The Chiefs doubled their lead to 2-0 in the second on walks to Matt Boleski and Mike Barbati and an infield error. 

Lozeau allowed a one out single to Mike Ferreiro in the second which proved to be the last base runner for the Americans for the evening. 

The Chiefs lead went to 5-0 in the third when Pollard drew a bases loaded walk and Barbati delivered a two out, two RBI single to center. The Chiefs final run came in the sixth off reliever Kevin Hayes when a RBI infield single from Bercume scored former Malden Catholic star and Columbia bound Dario Pizano who had walked. 

Lozeau, struck out four and did not issue a walk in an 82 pitch effort.

The Chiefs are back in action on Thursday night at 6:00 PM at Tufts University when they host the Lexington Blue Sox. Lefty Dylan Ellis (1-0) is expected to get the starting nod. On Friday the Chiefs entertain the Testa Corp. Bombers with Mike DiCato (1-0) drawing the assignment. On Sunday the Chiefs hook up with The Westford Willows of the Central New England League in a non-league contest at Playstead Park at 11:00 AM.

2009