Andre Chiefs

(From www.intercityleaguebaseball.com) 
Lexington, MA- Blue Sox righty Marc Hewett and Chiefs southpaw Dylan Ellis hooked up in a classic pitchers duel on Saturday afternoon with Lexington scratching out a run with two away in the bottom of the ninth inning to come away with a 2-1 win. With the extra inning victory, the Blue Sox take a 1-0 lead in the best of three semi-finals series.

The Chiefs and Blue Sox traded first inning runs. Matt Lawlor gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead in the top of the first with a sacrifice fly. The Blue Sox answered and tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a Danny Hughes RBI fielders choice.

It stayed that way until the bottom of the ninth. Hughes led off and drew a full count walk. With Matt Gedman at the plate, Hughes advanced to second on a passed ball. Gedman then hit a hard shot labled for right field but Chiefs first baseman Paul Koslowski made a nice diving stop and just beat Gedman to the bag with Hughes going to third. Ellis then got pinch hitter Eric Poling to bounce back to him for the second out of the inning. Jack Laurendeau followed and won it for the Blue Sox when he hit a sharp grounder down the first base line. Koslowski was able make the diving stop, but the speedy Laurendeau beat his throw to first that allowed Hughes to score the winning run.

Hewett of Rollins Collge, allowed just five hits and struck out seven while raising his overall 2008 record to 9-1.

Ellis, from Merrimack College, allowed six hits and struck out four. He was tagged his first loss of the season in eight decisions.

Lexington, MA- The Lexington Blue Sox roughed up Chiefs starter David Garcia for six first inning runs en route to an 11-7 win in the regular season's final game for both teams. With the win the Blue Sox claim the ICL's pennant and the Chiefs head to the playoffs, finishing fourth with a 17-8-6 record.

The Chiefs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning off Blue Sox starter Kevin Scanlon. After two outs, Andrew Hanson reached on an infield error, moved to third on the first of Matt Lawlor's three hits on the night, and eventually scored on a Paul Koslowski RBI single.

The Sox used first inning doubles by Danny Graham, Sean McElroy and Anthony Santos sandwiched around two base on balls, a hit batsman and a Matt Gedman RBI single, to score a half dozen runs off Garcia in the bottom of the first inning.

Joe Martini came on to start the second inning for the Chiefs and after Graham led off with his second double in as many innings, he retired the next three Lexington hitters in order.

The Chiefs responded and came up with three runs in the top of the third inning to cut the Lexington lead to 6-4. Nate Leva led off with a single off Sox reliever Sammy Steed. Hanson followed with another single and Justin Crisafulli drew a base on balls. Lawlor then singled to left driving in Leva and Hanson scored when the ball was misplayed to make it a 6-3 game. Steed got Koslowski swinging and Phil Costello walked. Mike Andre then hit a RBI grounder, which Anthony Santos made a nice play on to throw him out at first, with Crisafulli scoring on the play.

The Blue Sox picked up two unearned runs off Martini in the bottom of the third to increase thier lead to 8-4. McElroy reached on an error by Leva at shortstop and went to second on a passed ball. Jack Laurendeau then singled driving in McElroy to up the lead to 7-4. Laurendeau went to second on the throw home and to third on a fly ball to right. He scored the Sox eighth run on a long Santos sacrifice fly to center.

The Chiefs kept battling back, as they have done all season long, and cut the Blue Sox lead to 8-7 in the top of the fourth on singles from Brendan Pyburn and Lawlor, a hit batsman, a long double by Leva and a sacrifice fly from Koslowski.

Lefty Dylan Ellis came on to work the fourth and fifth innings for the Chiefs and retired all six batters he faced. Veteran Barry Foster turned the same trick for the Sox, holding the Chiefs scoreless as well in innings five and six.

Chris Foundas came on for Ellis to start the bottom of the sixth inning and experienced control problems as the Blue Sox picked up three more runs to take an 11-7 lead. A Ben Hewett two RBI double and a Gedman single, along with four walks issued by Foundas (one intentional), resulted in the Sox picking up their four runs. Righty Jose Pimentel came on for Foundas with two out and retired the only batter he faced on a ground ball.

Former UMass-Amherst ace Jesse Santos set the Chiefs down quietly in the top of the seventh as the Blue Sox picked up their 24th win of the year.

Woburn, MA- When a team loses just once in their last fourteen games good things usually result.

One of those good things happened to the Chiefs on Saturday night in Woburn as they punched their ticket to the ICL playoffs. It will be the 44th time in 46 seasons that the Chiefs will be part of the postseason party.

After 43 straight seasons of qualifying for the playoffs, the Chiefs took a two year break from play in 2004 & 2005 before returning to the ICL at the start of the 2006 season. As a virtual expansion team, with only veterans Justin Crisafulli and Dave Marsters left from the glory days of the 1990's and early 2000's, the Chiefs fielded their youngest team ever. They struggled mightily in 2006, posting a franshise worst 7-20-1 record and missing the ICL playoffs for the first time since 1958. Although the club showed marked improvement last season, a late season tailspin knocked them out of contention in late July and they finished with a less than stellar 9-18-5 mark.

Keith Forbes personally put an end to the postseason drought on Saturday when he dominated in the playoff clinching win at Ferullo Field. Forbes allowed just four hits against the Tanners and raised his league leading strikeout total to 95 with 14 more K's.

The Chiefs staked their ace to a 4-0 lead in the second inning on singles from Matt Lawlor, Phil Costello, Brendan Pyburn and Nate Leva and productive fielder's choices by Mike Barbati and Mike Andre.

It remained a 4-0 game until the Tanners got an unearned run in the third inning as a result of two Chiefs errors. Tanners starter Nick Ruocco settled down and held the Chiefs scoreless in the third, fourth and fifth innings. The Tanners made things very interesting when they got to Forbes for two runs in the bottom of the fifth on two walks and a two out, two RBI single, by Ryan Doyle which cut the lead to 4-3.

The Chiefs lead went to 5-3 in the top of the sixth when Costello walked and scored on a Barbati double into the left field corner. Forbes allowed a leadoff single by Joe Smith in the sixth but struck out the next three batters in succession to send the game to the top of the seventh.

Crisafulli upped the Chiefs lead to 6-3 when he launched his 86th career homer to left field.

Forbes struck out the first batter of the seventh, got Bryan Watkins to ground out to Leva for the second out, and sent the Chiefs to the post season when he struck out Derek Dettore to end the game.

With the win, Forbes goes to 6-1-1 on the year, with an ERA of 1.61. His 95 strikeouts have come in just 65.1 innings of work. Since the start of last season, the former San Diego Padres righty has struck out 174 batters in 109 innings.

Medford, MA- Ailing veteran Paul Koslowski drilled a pinch hit solo home run leading off the sixth inning, breaking a 4-4 tie, and propelling the Chiefs to a darkness shortened 6-4 win over the Medford Americans at Playstead Park on Tuesday evening. Lefty Dylan Ellis survived a rocky four run third inning to stay unbeaten in seven 2008 decisions.

The Americans rallied from a 2-0 hole to score four times in the bottom of the third inning to take a 4-2 lead.

The Chiefs started quickly in the top of the first inning against the Americans and Kevin Hayes. Mike Barbati led off with a single and Phil Costello quickly plated him with a long double to right center. Hayes got Andrew Hanson to pop up and cleanup man Justin Crisafulli looking before Matt Lawlor came up big once again with a single that scored Costello and staked Ellis to a 2-0 lead.

Ellis got the side in order in the home half of the first and the Chiefs could not increase their lead in the second despite a Mike Andre lead off single to right. Ellis struck out the side in the bottom of the second inning. The Chiefs got Barbati aboard via an infield error to start the third but he was erased when Costello lined to Hayes on the mound for an easy 1-3 doubleplay.

The Americans made plenty of noise in the third picking up all of their four runs. Callahan led off with a single to left and after a strikeout, consecutive singles by Mike Burgoyne and Steve Panza loaded the bases for Mike Kalfopoulos. Kalfopoulos hit a chopper in front of the plate that went for a single and scored Callahan. Mike Delponte followed with a RBI groundout which tied the game at 2-2. Kevin Burgoyne then drew a walk to reload the bases for Bill Smeglin who lined a single to center scoring Panza and Delponte and giving the Americans the lead at 4-2.

It stayed that way until the top of the fifth inning when the Chiefs tied the game at 4-4. Costello was hit by pitch and Hanson flew to left. Crisafulli then singled to left and Lawlor hit one back to Hayes who threw Costello out at the plate. Leva then singled scoring Crisafulli to make it 4-3. Andre then reached on an infield error that scored Lawlor and tied the game at four. Hayes averted further trouble when he got Matt Boleski swinging to end the inning.

The Americans got a single from Mike Delponte with one out in the bottom of the fifth and Kevin Burgoyne then reached on a Batbati error. The threat went by the boards when Smeglin hit into a Leva at short to Andre at first doubleplay.

Koslowski pinch hit for Nicky Dunn leading off the sixth and deposited a homer deep over the right center field fence that allowed the Chiefs to reclaim the lead at 5-4. A Barbati triple into the right field corner followed and Dan Nugent replaced Hayes on the hill for the Americans. Costello greeted Nugent with a RBI single that upped the Chiefs lead to 6-4. Hanson then singled sending Costello to third and Crisafulli struck out.  Lawlor then hit a sharp liner to right that resulted in a doubleplay with Costello being caught off third base.

Ellis retired the side in order in the bottom of the sixth and the Chiefs were at bat in the seventh when darkness set in and the game was called.

With the win the Chiefs go to 16-7-6 on the year with three games remaining in the regular season.

Medford, MA- Righty Keith Forbes allowed just one hit and struck out 13 batters in a dominating performance, leading the Chiefs to a 7-0 win over the Medford Americans on Monday night at Huskins Field.

Forbes threw 87 pitches and allowed only a second inning single to Bill Smeglin. 

The Chiefs scored single runs in each of the first three frames off American's starter Zack Bunszell. Brendan Pyburn (3 for 3, sac fly, RBI) got things going in the first with a leadoff single. Nate Leva then flew out to center and Andrew Hanson followed with a fielder's choice forcing Pyburn at second. Justin Crisafulli drew a walk and Matt Lawlor gave the Chiefs their first run when he blooped a single to right center scoring Hanson.

It went to 2-0 in the second inning when Phil Costello singled, went to third on a base hit to right from Mike Barbati and scored when Pyburn lofted a sacrifice fly to center.

The Chiefs increased their lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the third. Bunszell got Leva to fly out to start the inning before Hanson singled. Crisafulli popped up and Lawlor reached on an infield error to put runners at first and third with two away. Mike Andre then singled to center scoring Hanson to give Forbes a three run margin.

Pyburn tripled into the right field corner to start the Chiefs fourth and scored on a Leva single to left center making it 4-0. Hanson followed with his second consecutive single and Crisafulli and Lawlor both drew walks to force in a run as the lead went to 5-0.

Neither club scored in the fifth and the Chiefs picked up their final two runs of the evening in the sixth on a Pyburn infield single, an infield error, a Crisafulli RBI single and another single from Lawlor.

Forbes, now 5-1-1 on the season, retired the side in order in the first, third, fourth and fifth innings and allowed just two baserunners, Smeglin's hit in the second and a two out walk to Mike Burgoyne with two outs in the sixth. Forbes got the first two batters of the seventh before being relieved by Chris Foundas who recorded a walk and a strikeout with the two batters he faced.

The Chiefs and Americans change venues and are right back at it tonight (Tuesday) when they square off in a 6:00 PM start at Playstead Park.