Andre Chiefs

By Bruce Hack
Lexington, MA- Ryan O’Rourke executed a perfect bunt as John Fritz raced across home plate with the go-ahead run to give Lexington a 3-2 lead and send the Blue Sox on to a game one victory in their semifinal series against the Andre Chiefs.

Game two is scheduled for tonight (Friday) with a 7:45 PM start at Maplewood (Malden Catholic).

The bottom of the sixth started with a single by Alex Voitik, who was pinch-run for by Fritz. Fritz stole second and Dahiandy Johnson walked. Will Potdevin sacrificed to move both runners into scoring position and set up the game-winning scenario.

The game was a typical Chiefs – Blue Sox playoff game. Close, back-and-forth with good pitching, defense and timely hitting.

Lexington scored in the bottom of the first. Josue Feliciano began the inning with a single to center. Feliciano was forced at second and Alex Krylov reaching on a fielders choice. Krylov stole second and Luke Hall walked. Krylov and Hall stole second and third putting two runners into scoring position. Voitik grounded out to second with Krylov scoring.

The Chiefs answered in the top of second. With one out Kyle DeRoma walked, moved to second on a wild pitch and reached third on a fielders choice. From there he scored on a sacrifice fly by Nick Valdario for a 1-1 game.

Lexington retook the lead in the bottom of the second. The Sox loaded the bases on a walk to Potdevin, single by O’Rourke, who pitches and hits for the Blue Sox, and a walk to Brendan Jones. Feliciano reached on a fielders choice with Potdevin scoring for a 2-1 lead.

For the third straight inning a team scored has the Chiefs tied the game in the top of the third. Nate Witkowski reached on a fielding error. He moved to second on a single by Ryan Noone. After two strikeouts, Adam Johnson singled to drive in Witkowski and tie the game at 2-2.

Both starters, the Chiefs Cal Carroll and Lexington’s O’Rourke settled down after the third. Carroll retired nine of 11 Sox batters, five on strikeouts, from the third through fifth innings. O’Rourke got out of a first and third with one out threat in the first by striking out Andrew Caulfield and Graham Smith. From the fourth through sixth innings he set down eight
straight and nine of the last 10 batters he faced.

With the Sox up 3-2 Manny Delcarmen came in to pitch the seventh and set down the Chiefs on six pitches. He combined with O’Rourke to retire 12 of the last 13 Chiefs batters.

O’Rourke finished with eight strikeouts and earned his first postseason win with the Blue Sox.
Johnson and Noone each had two hits for the Chiefs.

To watch the Lexington-Andre series go to Beyond Sight Sports on You Tube and find the game. You can watch game one or watch game two live.

By Bruce Hack
Lexington, MA – The Andre Chiefs advanced to the ICL semifinals with a 13-1 win over Alibrandis Wednesday night at Lexington High School.

The fifth seeded Chiefs defeated sixth seed Reading Tuesday night 6-1 and then beat the fourth seeded Alibrandis. The Chiefs will next take on top seeded Lexington Thursday night in Lexington at 8:00 P.M.

Andre put the game away with a six run second inning. Nate Witkowski singled with the bases loaded to drive in the first two runs of the frame. After a walk and hit batter, Alibrandis starter Jared Brooks was replaced on the mound by Anthony Delprete. The Chiefs added three more runs on a sacrifice fly by Nick Valdario and RBI singles by Adam Johnson and Joe Bova.

Evan Walsh (pictured left) was the beneficiary of the Chiefs offense. The southpaw was 0-5 in the regular season put together his best outing of 2021. He gave up three hits, walked three and struck out six. Though he only had one 1-2-3 inning, Walsh stranded six runners and only allowed two base runners in one inning. The victory was the second postseason career win for Walsh.

Gordie Gronkowski supplied the lone Alibrandis run with a long home run to left in the sixth inning. It was his first postseason home run in the Intercity League.

Valdario was 4-for-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored for the Chiefs. Johnson drove in 3 runs on two singles and an infield out. Witkowski had 3 hits, 2 RBI and Bova had 2 RBI. Miles Reid and Ryan Noone each scored 3 runs. Reid and Noone each had one hit, while Reid had two walks and stole home on the back end of a double steal. Noone reached base on a hit by pitch and an error.

Kyle Halloran had two hits for Alibrandis.

The 13 runs was the most the Chiefs scored since they scored 15 in a 16-15 loss to Lexington on August 23, 2015. On August 12, 2015 the Chiefs defeated Arlington 13-1. For Alibrandis the 13 runs is the most they have allowed in an ICL postseason game since joining the league in 2018. This was the quickest exit for Alibrandis in the playoffs. In 2018 they lost to Lexington in the semifinals. In 2019 they lost to Lexington in the finals. Alibrandis is now 7-9 in three postseasons in the ICL.

MORE SOON

Watertown, MA- Veteran lefty Tim Dunphy tossed a two-day, complete game five-hitter, when the Chiefs beat the Reading Bulldogs 6-1 in a game started at Maplewood on Monday and completed at Victory Field last night.

The Chiefs made a five run first inning stand up.

With the win, the Chiefs move on to meet the #4 seeded Alibrandis at Lexington High on Wednesday night at 8:15 PM in a single elimination second play-in game.

The winner of the Chiefs-Alibrandis game will move on to meet the #1 seeded Blue Sox in the first game of a best of three semi-final series starting Thursday at 8:00 PM in Lexington.

The Reading Bulldogs- Chiefs play-in game was suspended due to heavy rain in the bottom of the first inning on Monday night at Maplewood.

The game will resume tonight (Tuesday) at Victory Field in Watertown starting at 7:00 PM.

When the game was stopped the Chiefs were leading 3-0 . The game will be resumed at that point this evening.

The winner of tonight’s game will move on to play #4 Alibrandis on Wednesday night at Lexington High School at 8:00 PM.