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Clegg 4-Hits Reading in 7-1 Win at Endicott
Beverly, MA- The Chiefs made it three straight wins this week against the Reading Bulldogs, and saw their winning streak go to four games, with a 7-1 win at Endicott College on Thursday night.
Veteran southpaw Mitchell Clegg gave the pitching staff their fourth consecutive complete game with a neatly spun four-hitter.
Clegg and Bulldogs’ starter Jack Theriault kept the game scoreless over the first two innings.
Mike Andre gave the Chiefs a 2-0 lead in the top of the third when he drove home Shane Stande and Matt Nuzzo, who had both walked, with liner into the right-centerfield gap.
Clegg got the Reading side in order over the next two frames. The Chiefs then made it a 3-0 game in the top of the fifth when Mike Gedman’s long double to right scored Stande who had singled.
The Bulldogs closed the gap to 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth on Mike Taylor’s bomb triple to center and a Johnny Hayes infield RBI groundout.
It stayed 3-1 until the Chiefs put the game away scoring four times in the top of the seventh. Tony Serino got things underway with a single and then stole second. Stande was next and he doubled into the left-field corner, scoring Serino, to make it 4-1. Nuzzo was hit by a pitch, before Gedman popped up for the first out. Andre drew a walk to load the bases for Barbati who beat out the back end of an attempted doubleplay for an RBI and a 5-1 Chiefs’ lead. Nate Witkowski followed and hit a slow roller toward third that scored Nuzzo. When Hayes' throw went wide of first, Barbati came all the way around from first to score the Chiefs’ seventh run.
Rookie Andrew Caulfield, filling in for Peter Copa at first base, added two singles in the game to go along with 10 putouts. In addition, Anthony Sullivan recorded his first ICL hit with a fourth inning single to left.
Andre, with his two RBI's in the third inning, moved past Mike Barnes and into third place on the Chiefs' all-time career RBI list.
Clegg (3-1, 1.14 ERA) struck out seven and walked just one for his 17th career win. Veteran Steve Heuston (0-1), who was a former 10th round draft pick of the Kansas City Royals out of Long Beach State, took the loss in relief of Theriault.
The now 18-6 Chiefs are off for the weekend. On Monday, they will host the Melrose Americans at Pine Banks at 8:00 PM.
-Courtesy Anthony Zeoli
-Steve Hartwell Photos
COACH CAL CEREMONY NOW SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY, AUGUST 8 AT MORELLI
Melrose, MA- Longtime Chiefs’ Coach Steve Calabresi, who passed away suddenly in April, will now be remembered on Tuesday evening August 8th, in an on-field ceremony at Morelli Field in Melrose. The event was originally scheduled for this past Wednesday but the game was rained out.
“Coach Cal” will have his number 38 retired prior to the Chiefs-Americans game which will be played at 7:30 PM. Steve had served the Chiefs as their Bench Coach since 1989. He also was an Assistant Coach at Arlington Catholic and served for over a decade on the M.I.T. baseball staff under Head Coach Fran O’Brien.
Many of Steve’s family and friends are expected to attend the ceremony which is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM.
Freni 4-Hitter, Welch HR, Andre, Serino & Nuzzo Get 6-1 Win at Endicott
It was one of the longest games of the ICL season and featured a combined 16 walks and 16 strikeouts.
The Chiefs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Tony Serino and Peter Copa drew walks and Matt Nuzzo drove in Serino with an RBI single to left.
The lead went to 4-0 in the top of the third as Reading starter Colby Morris (2-3) experienced control issues. Johnny Welch led off with a double into the right-centerfield gap. Morris then hit Peter Copa, and walked Nuzzo and Mike Andre in succession, to force in Welch for a 2-0 lead. Nate Witkowski’s sacrifice fly to left scored Copa and jumped the margin to 3-0. A two out walk to Nick Leva, then another bases-loaded walk to Serino, forced in Nuzzo with the fourth run and ended Morris’ night. Reliever Jack Theriault kept it a four-run game when he got Mike DiCato on an inning ending pop-up.
Reading loaded the bases in the bottom of the third on a single from Kevin Marciano and walks to Mike DeDonato and Zac Talis. Freni pitched out of it when he caught Darren Hartwell looking at a third strike to end the inning.
The Chiefs’ lead went to 5-0 in the top of the fourth when Welch led off the inning and launched his fourth homer of the season to left.
The Bulldogs threatened again in the home half of the fourth. Chris Seidl led off with a single and stole second. Freni got Macyn Clifford swinging on a low third strike in the dirt. Clifford reached first when Leva’s throw was low, to put two runners on with nobody out. Freni struck out Johnny Hayes before Marciano loaded the bases with a perfectly placed bunt single. Witkowski then turned in the defensive gem of the night when he went deep into the shortstop hole and came up with Corey DiLoreto’s grounder. He fired to Andre at third to force Clifford for a big second out as Seidl scored on the play. Witkowski's play proved to be even bigger when a DeDonato single re-loaded the bases. Freni kept the damage to just a run when Bosco lined out hard to Serino in center.
The Chiefs final run came in the top of the seventh. Andre got things started with a line single to center. Mike Burgoyne drew a walk before Serino’s RBI single plated pinch-runner Anthony Sullivan to give the Chiefs a 6-1 lead.
Freni saved his strongest inning for the seventh when he struck out the Reading side in order to end the game. With the win, Freni goes to 6-2 on the season. He struck out ten and scattered just four hits.
The Bulldogs and Chiefs are right back at it on Tuesday night at 8:00 PM, this time at Pine Banks Park which is located on the Malden/Melrose line.
-Courtesy of Anthony Zeoli for the Reading Bulldogs
-Photos Courtesy of Steve Hartwell
Dunphy Throws Complete Game, Copa gets 200th Career Hit in 7-4 Win
Tim Dunphy went the distance and improved to 3-0 on the year despite allowing 12 hits. The veteran was good enough when he had to be and the Chiefs defense was even better, turning three doubleplays, to go along with a couple of nice running catches by center-fielder Tony Serino.
The Bulldogs, who outhit the Chiefs 12-8 in the game, took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI single from Zac Talis.
The Chiefs quickly erased that lead when they picked up a four-spot in the home half of the first off Reading starter Jack Burke. Consecutive singles by Serino, Shane Stande, and Johnny Welch, tied the game at 1-1. A double into the leftfield corner by Matt Nuzzo put the Chiefs up 3-1, followed by an opposite field double by Mike Gedman, which made it 4-1.
Reading chipped a run off the lead to close to 4-2 in the top of the second on a Mike Taylor single and a Rosario Missiti triple.
The Chiefs opened the lead to 7-2 an inning later. Peter Copa led off and recorded his 200th career hit with an infield chopper over the mound. Walks to Nuzzo and Gedman, followed by a two-run error on Nate Witkowski’s fielder’s choice in front of the mound, then a Mike DiCato RBI groundout, accounted for the runs.
The Bulldogs picked up two runs in the top of the sixth on a two RBI single from Darren Hartwell.
The Chiefs infield turned doubleplays in third, fourth, and seventh innings.
Dunphy (3-0) struck out four and walked two. Burke (0-4) was charged with all seven runs in his three innings of work. Chris Seidl kept the Chiefs off the scoreboard over the final three innings, allowing just two hits.
The 17-6 Chiefs are back in action on Wednesday night at 7:30 PM when they meet the Americans at Morelli Field in Melrose. Prior to the game at 7:00 PM, the Chiefs and the ICL will retire the number of Coach Steve Calabresi, who passed away suddenly this past April.
The 9-15 Bulldogs are off until Thursday when they host the Chiefs again at Endicott Colllege at 8:00 PM.
-Statistics courtesy of Anthony Zeoli
Desai Shutouts Arlington to go to 5-0
With the win, the Chiefs clinched a playoff spot and another winning season. The Chiefs have now made the playoffs and have recorded a winning record 51 times in the 53 summers they have played baseball.
Desai dominated and went to 5-0 on the season. The lefty has thrown four straight complete games.
The game was scoreless over the first two innings as Trojans’ right-hander Alex Erwin (0-3) was equally as tough, retiring six of the first seven Chiefs he faced. The only base-runner he allowed was when Mike Gedman reached on a one out single in the second.
The Chiefs broke through in the top of the third. Mike Burgoyne drew a walk, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Tony Serino’s opposite field RBI single to left.
The Trojans got two runners aboard for the only time in the game in the bottom of the third. After singles from Shane O’Halloran and Ryan Hood (infield hit), Deasi slammed the door when he struck out the side.
After a scoreless fourth, the Chiefs added their second run in the top of the fifth. Mike DiCato led things off with a double into the right-centerfield gap. Erwin got Burgoyne on an infield pop-up, then struck out Serino swinging for the first two outs. Catcher Shane Stande then delivered a big two out single to right-center, scoring DiCato, to make it a 2-0 game.
Ryan Hood led off the Arlington sixth with a single up the middle before third-baseman Mike Andre erased him at second on Aaron Williams’ bunt attempt. Deasi got Kyle Bourdrias on a hopper to Mike Barbati at second, then struck out Jeff Besozzi swinging, to keep the Trojans off the board heading for the seventh.
Evan Walsh came out of the Arlington bullpen and retired the bottom third of the Chiefs’ lineup in order in the top of the seventh.
Desai struck out former Harvard University shortstop Morgan Brown to open the Arlington seventh. Kyle Dembroski, who had a fifth inning double, then kept the Trojans’ hopes alive when he drilled his second hit of the game to center. Dembroski got no further than first when Kennedy Wilson flew to Gedman in right and Deasi struck out O’Halloran to preserve the shutout and the win.
Desai scattered five hits and did not walk a batter. He threw 101 pitches in the game.
The now 15-6 Chiefs stay busy with four games in the next four nights. That stretch begins on Monday when the Chiefs visit the Reading Bulldogs at Endicott College at 8:00 PM.
-Ian Roberts for www.intercityleaguebaseball.com
