Andre Chiefs

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.

Medford, MA- When a team makes four errors, issues seven free passes, uncorks two wild pitches, hits a couple of batters and leaves ten men on base, the results are typically not good. 

That formula held true to form for the reeling Chiefs on Friday night at Tufts University as they dropped their third straight game of the week, this time to the Medford Americans 11-5. 

The Chiefs out hit the Americans 11-6, fell behind 2-0, took a 4-2 lead before surrendering the lead for good when the Americans tallied four times in the fourth inning. 

Americans starter Kevin Hayes and his Chiefs counterpart Ryan McNeill both threw two scoreless innings before the Americans picked up a couple of runs in the top of the third. Two walks and a fielders choice set the stage for Luke Begley who drilled a hard one hop single just past shortstop Brendan Pyburn to give Medford a 2-0 lead. 

The Chiefs answered quickly in their half of the third inning to take a 4-2 lead. Dario Pizzano and Bob McCarthy both drew walks. Hayes was in obvious discomfort and had to leave the game with a blister. Pyburn greeted reliever Zach Bunszell rudely with a three run homer to right giving the Chiefs the lead at 3-2. After Justin Crisafulli flew to left, Mike Andre doubled into the right field corner. Peter Copa then singled to left center moving Andre to third. Americans manager Kevin Burgoyne then summoned veteran southpaw Orazio Azzarello from the bullpen to face lefty Hal Landers. Azzarello walked Landers and JP Pollard followed with a sacrifice fly to center that gave the Chiefs a two run lead. Azzarello then got Mike Barbati to ground to Begley at second leaving two runners stranded in scoring position. 

McNeill quickly surrendered the lead in the top of the fourth. He gave up a one out single to Dave Ahern then experienced control problems walking the next three batters in succession that forced in a run and cut the Chiefs lead to 4-3. Mike Ferriero was next and he drilled a long gap shot double to left center that cleared the bases to put the Americans back in front at 6-4. Rob Machado replaced McNeill on the mound and averted further trouble when he got Steve Tahmoush to ground out. 

Azzarello got the Chiefs in order in the bottom of the fourth and Machado held Medford scoreless in the fifth.  

The Chiefs picked up a run in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead tom 6-5 but let a golden opportunity go by the boards. Crisafulli singled to left and Andre followed with a line single to right. Lee Jamison came on to face Copa who reached on an infield single into the shortstop hole that loaded the bases with nobody out. Landers then grounded sharply to first with Crisafulli scoring and leaving runners at second and third. Pollard then hit a hard liner to Ferriero who was drawn in at shortstop. Ferriero knocked the ball down and threw Pollard out at first with the runners unable to advance. Lefty Matt Boleski then pinch hit for Barbati and Jamison got him swinging leaving two more men in scoring position.  

Machado was victimized by an unearned run in the sixth that jumped the Americans lead to 7-5 on a sacrifice fly from KC McCarthy.  

The Chiefs once again threatened in the bottom of the sixth but came up empty. McCarthy and Pyburn hit back to back one out singles and Andre drew a ten pitch walk to load the bases. Jamison then slammed the door on the Chiefs when he got Copa to pop up. 

The Americans reached Chris Foundas for four more runs in the top of seventh to put the game away with the big pop coming off the bat of McCarthy, who delivered a bases loaded triple.   

Boston, MA- The annual Boston Park League vs. Intercity League All Star game will be held at Lexington High School on Sunday, July 19 at 2:00 PM.

For the last three years the game has been named in honor of umpire Joe Driscoll who passed away in 2007.

Rick DeAngelis, manager of the 2008 champions Blue Sox, will pilot the ICL squad. The ICL's all-star team is expected to be announced next Tuesday.