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Rookie Fargo Bright Spot in 8-0 Loss to Wakefield
The game featured a decent pitcher’s duel between Tanguy and Chiefs’ starter Mike Gedman as the game stayed scoreless over the first three innings.
Alibrandis took a 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth on singles from Bobby Barrett and Anthony Perry, a sacrifice fly from Chuck Erickson, a walk to Mark Henriksen, and a two RBI single from Mark Addesa.
The lead went to 4-0 in the top of the fourth when Mike Maguire walked, stole second, and scored on veteran Dave Lightbody’s single. Ben Waldrip became the only Chief to reach base in the bottom of the inning when he drilled a clean to single to right off Tanguy.
Alibrandis quickly put the game out of reach against reliever David Kerns in the top of the fifth. Henriksen lead off with triple to right-center and scored when Leivi Ventura, who made a nice stab of Jamil Moquete grounder to third, threw high to first allowing Henriksen to score the fifth run. Kerns then walked Ericksen before Addesa knocked a three-run homer over the centerfield fence for an 8-0 lead. Rookie Jack Fargo came on for Kerns and got a couple of infield grounders and a strikeout, sandwiched around two walks, to end the inning.
Suffolk University Head Coach Anthony Delprete (0.2 inning), Brian Saffelle (0.1 inning) worked a scoreless sixth before Lemarre Rey came on and got the Chiefs’ side in order in the seventh.
Tanguy (3-1) went the first five innings to get the win. He struck out five and allowed just the one single to Waldrip. Gedman (0-2) gave up four runs, six hits, and struck out five in his five innings of work.
Addesa finished the game with five RBI’s on the night and reached base three times.
Chiefs Chatter…..With their second straight loss, the Chiefs fall below the .500 mark at 13-14 but still remain in contention for one of the final three playoff spots. The only game remaining is a make-up at Watertown which will be played early next week……The ICL’s regular season is scheduled to conclude by next Tuesday with the first round of the playoffs to follow…..Jack Fargo was one of the few bright spots in Wednesday’s loss. The 18 year-old former Medford High ace struck out four batters over the last two innings while allowing just one hit. He will head to UMass-Boston in the fall where he will play for former ICL catcher Brendan Eygabroat’s Beacons. Ironically a couple of the UMass Assistant Coaches, Bobby Barrett and Jamil Moquete, got a close-up look at their incoming right-hander. Fargo got Barrett on groundout to end the sixth inning and then struck out Moquete in the seventh…..
Welch Walkoff Single Backs Dunphy Pitching, Chiefs Win 4th Straight
Defensive purists would have relished the first five and a half innings as both teams threw the leather behind the Chiefs’ Tim Dunphy and the Royals’ Chris Ramos.
In between three doubleplays and some glittering infield play, displayed in particular by opposing shortstops Nate Witkowski and Adam Johnson, the Chiefs held a 1-0 lead courtesy of a Danny DiMare ground rule double that had scored Peter Copa in the bottom of the second.
Things heated up quickly and It was “game on” from the bottom of the sixth inning on when the Chiefs scratched out a vital insurance run to take a 2-0 lead. Leivi Ventura got the inning underway when he led off with a walk. After a couple of unsuccessful bunt attempts Ventura moved to second on Copa’s grounder to third. Ramos then struck out Witkowski but the ball bounded away from catcher John Collette with Witkowski taking first and Ventura moving to third on the wild pitch. DiMare gave the Chiefs a two run lead when he legged out the back end of a doubleplay ball that allowed Ventura to score. Stande followed and drilled a deep shot to left. DiMare tried to score from first on the play but he was gunned down at the plate on a perfect 7-6-2 relay.
James McConville led off the Royals seventh and he dropped an opposite field double down the rightfield line off the glove of the diving DiMare. The game tightened up quickly when Soren Hanson beat out a high chop single over the mound that put runners on the corners with nobody out. The Royals went the opposite field route again and tied the game up with one swing when Ryan Hood lined a Dunphy pitch into the rightfield corner for a two run double. Dunphy flashed some serious leather of his own, and got himself a huge out, when he snared a Nick Valdario shot back up the box and fired to Ventura at third who tagged out Hood. The Royals got the go ahead run in scoring position for the second time in the inning when Valdario stole second. Dunphy left him there by striking out Brady Chant, and then getting Jake Cintolo on an infield grounder, to keep the game tied heading for the Chiefs' seventh.
Ramos struck out leadoff man Tony Serino on a 3-2 changeup for the first out of the inning before Matt Nuzzo lined a Ramos pitch to left for a single. Ramirez came on to pinch run for Nuzzo and he went to second on an errant Ramos pickoff attempt. The Royals then chose to walk lefty Ben Waldrip to face Welch and set up a potential doubleplay ball. Welch kicked that decision to the curb when he drilled the first pitch he saw to left sending Ramirez sliding across the plate with the winning run and giving the Chiefs their fourth straight win.
Both Dunphy (2-1) and Ramos (0-3) allowed nine hits each in the rapidly played game.
Chiefs Chatter….The 13-12 Chiefs host the Wakefield Merchants at their “home away from home” Pine Banks on Tuesday at 8:00 PM…On Wednesday they will play Alibrandis back at Maplewood also at 8:00 PM…Dunphy picked up his 45th win in a Chiefs uniform and recorded 14 ground ball outs….
Wakefield Beats Chiefs 8-2 at Pine Banks
The Chiefs trailed from the outset in this one. The Merchants grabbed a 2-0 first inning lead on singles from Bobby Losanno and Chris Butler, and a Joe Barry RBI double.
The Chiefs did cut the lead in half to 2-1 in the bottom of the second when Leivi Ventura, who had walked, came around to score on a Nardone wild pitch.
The Merchants got that run right back in the top of the third. After Freni retired the first two batters, Butler sent a shot to the fence in right-center. Danny DiMare initially made the catch but hit the fence and the ball came loose. When the throw to get Butler at third skipped out of play, Butler scored and the Merchants had 3-1 lead.
The Chiefs left the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth when DiMare bounced into a doubleplay after singles from Johnny Welch and Peter Copa, and a walk to Nate Witkowski.
Collins gave the Merchants breathing room at 6-1 in the top of fifth when he hit a three-run homer to center, scoring Mike Mangonian and Losanno, who both singled, in front of him.
Witkowski relieved Freni in the top of the sixth and got the Wakefield side in order. The Chiefs added a single run in the bottom of the inning when Serino, who had reached on an error, scored on a Matt Nuzzo RBI grounder. But the Chiefs left the bases loaded for the second time in three innings when Copa flew out after consecutive singles from Juan Portes, Welch and Ventura.
The Merchants got a single from Butler, a double from Brendan Barry, and used a throwing error, to score a couple of more times in the top of the seventh accounting for the 8-2 final.
Nardone (2-3) went five innings to get the win. He allowed six hits and struck out three before Brandon Bartlett came out of the bullpen and worked two scoreless frames.
Freni (3-3) struck out seven and surrendered seven hits. Witkowski allowed two hits and one earned run while striking out four in his two innings.
Chiefs Chatter….. The 13-13 Chiefs have two games remaining. They will host Alibrandis on Wednesday night at Maplewood at 8:00 PM…..The regular season will conclude with a yet to be scheduled make-up game at Watertown….
Wakefield, MA- Evan Walsh picked up his fourth win of the season, a complete game six-hitter, and Ben Waldrip had a perfect four for four afternoon, with two RBI’s as well as a big seventh inning catch, when the Chiefs edged the Merchants 4-3 at Walsh Field. With their third straight win, the Chiefs climbed back to the .500 mark as the ICL’s regular season, and playoff race, enters their final days.
The typical ingredients were all in place for a tough road loss. The Chiefs allowed the Merchants to hang around, grounded into three doubleplays, left a dozen men on base, and committed two errors. But such was not the case on this day as Walsh got the win with his fifth straight quality start.
The Chiefs staked their lefty to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first and certainly looked poised to score much more against Merchant starter Andrew Auld. Tony Serino started the game with a leadoff single and Danny DIMare was hit by an Auld pitch. When Matt Nuzzo’s single scored Serino, the Chiefs had a quick 1-0 lead. The margin went to 2-0, with still nobody out, when Waldrip singled home DiMare. Auld then got the first big twin killing of the game when Leivi Ventura bounced into a 6-4-3 doubleplay. Nuzzo and Waldrip stayed stranded when Kyle Dembrowski fouled out to catcher Joe Barry.
The Merchants caught a break and took advantage to knot things up in the home half of the first. Bobby Losanno led off with a single to right but was erased at second on Dillon Koster’s grounder. Ryan Collins was next and he singled to center. The throw to get Koster going first to third on the play hit him in the back and bounded away from Ventura allowing him to score the Merchants first run. A Walsh wild pitch brought Collins across the plate and the teams were tied at two each after an inning.
The Chiefs picked up two more runs in the top of the second to take a 4-2 lead. Andrew Caulfield was hit by an Auld pitch and Shane Stande bunted him to second. Serino then followed with his second single of the day before RBI singles form DiMare and Waldrip, sandwiched around a Nuzzo flyout, drove home Caulfield and Serino respectively to give the visitors a 4-2 advantage. Auld loaded the bases when he hit Ventura with a pitch but escaped further scoring when he retired Peter Copa on liner right at Mike Mangonian at second.
Walsh stranded two Wakefield runners, who both walked, in the bottom of the second when he recorded a couple of inning ending K’s.
The Chiefs left two more runners in scoring position, after walks to Dembrowski and Stande, in the top of the third.
After a quiet fourth inning, the Chiefs left the bases full again in the top of the fifth (Dembrowski double, Stande walk, Serino single) when reliever Jake Berrisi got DiMare to hit into a 6-4-3 doubleplay.
Walsh recorded two more strikeouts in the bottom of the fifth.
The Merchants turned their third doubleplay of the game in top the sixth when Ventura grounded into his second of the game, this time going the 5-4-3 path after Waldrip’s fourth straight single of the game.
Walsh worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth and Copa became the fourth Chief of the game to be hit by a pitch when leading off the seventh. He couldn’t get any further than first when Berrisi struck out Dembrowski on a check swing strikeout and the got Caulfield and Stande on outfield flies.
The Merchants weren't going to down easy when Losanno led off the bottom of the seventh with a sharp single to left. After two unsuccessful bunt attempts by Koster he flew out to Waldrip in left. Waldrip then turned in the web gem of the game when he made a diving grab of a Collins sinking fly to left for the second out. Walsh’s third consecutive pickoff attempt of Losanno was thrown wide of first for an error and the 2017 ICL MVP scampered to second with the tying run. Not to be denied, Walsh got the Chiefs the win when he threw out Anthony Cecere at first on a nubber in front of the plate.
Chiefs Chatter…..The12-12 Chiefs host the Somerville Royals on Monday night at Maplewood…. Walsh (4-3) lowered his ERA to 2.19 in a team leading 39.1 innings pitched….Waldrip moved into the ICL’s top five in batting average and upped his average to .411 with his perfect day at the plate….
Clegg Guts Out 5-3 Win in Melrose
Clegg and Melrose starter Chris Mitchell, who battled as well and stuck around for 6.2 innings, both continued to pitch out of jams on the sauna like evening in the all-Mitchell, surname vs. given name, matchup.
The Americans drew first blood in the bottom of the first. Singles from Malcolm Nachmanoff and Chris Hopkins, and a sacrifice fly to right by Will Shackelford, gave the hosts a quick 1-0 advantage.
The Chiefs tied the game in the top of the second on singles from Leivi Ventura, Danny DiMare and Shane Stande. Ventura’s sacrifice fly, scoring Matt Nuzzo who had singled and moved to third on an infield error, gave the Chiefs their first lead of the night at 2-1 in the top of the third.
The Americans tied things up in the bottom of the fourth. Dan Cacciola led off with a double to center and scored on Casey Santos-Ocampo’s single. The Chiefs got a big out when they erased Santos-Ocampo when he tried to go to second on the throw to the plate.
The Chiefs scored twice in the top of the fifth to take the lead for good at 4-2. DIMare reached on an infield error and moved to second when Stande dropped a bloop single into right on a hit and run. Mike Burgoyne then moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt. Leadoff man Tony Serino was next and he delivered the night’s biggest hit when he bounced a two RBI single to center with the Americans’ infield drawn in.
Nachmanoff doubled with two outs in the bottom of the sixth and scored on Hopkins’ third hit of the night to cut the lead to 4-3. When John Jennings singled to center, the Americans had the go ahead runs on base with two away. Clegg kept the Chiefs in front when he got Shackelford on a screaming liner right at Nuzzo at second base to end the inning.
Johnny Welch’s sixth homer of the year, a two out solo shot to left-center, gave the Chiefs an insurance run and an 5-3 lead heading for the bottom of the seventh.
Dave Center put the Americans in immediate business with a leadoff double to the fence in right. It was all Clegg from there as he got Charlie Huegi to fly to DiMare in right, struck out pinch-hitter Matt Hosman, then ended the grueling evening by getting Cacciola on a bouncer to Witkowski at shortstop.
Clegg (2-2) struck out nine, walked two, and hit a batter. Mitchell (3-2), who gave way to Aran Hamilton-Grenham after Welch’s homer in the seventh, turned in a game effort. The Colby-Sawyer righty allowed just two earned runs, nine hits, didn’t walk a batter, and struck out three.
Chiefs Chatter….The now 11-12 Chiefs were scheduled to meet the front-running Watertown Reds at Bentley University on Thursday but that game was rained out. A make-up date for that game will be announced soon....They will now wrap up their game road trip on Sunday at Walsh Field in Wakefield in a 3:00 PM start…..Clegg recorded his 20th career victory for the Chiefs and Welch hit his 26th career homer….The Chiefs opren a three game homestand next week. They play the Somerville Royals on Monday at Maplewood, Wakefield on Tuesday at Pine Banks, and then Alibrandis on Wednesday at Maplewood, all in 8:00 PM starts….
