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Nuzzo & Saia Lead Chiefs to 14-5 Win in Wakefield
Johnny Welch (3-5, 2 RBI’s), Shane Stande (2-4, 2 RBI’s), Nate Witkowski (2-4, 2 RBI’s), Mike Burgoyne (2-4, 2 RBI’s) and Mike Barbati (2-4) led the Chiefs 16 hit offense.
Saia (1-0) scattered nine hits and struck out six. The southpaw threw 114 pitches in the complete game effort.
The Chiefs are back in action on Monday night at 8:15 PM when they host the Arlington Trojans at Maplewood Park, on the campus of Malden Catholic. On Tuesday, the Chiefs travel to Trum Field to meet the Royals before returning home to face the Reading Bulldogs on Wednesday.
-Courtesy ICL Baseball
Desai K's 14 in 6-2 Win in Somerville
Somerville, MA- Josh Desai made his first career ICL start an impressive one, striking out 14 batters, when the Chiefs’ beat the Royals 6-2 at Trum Field on Thursday night.
In a game that moved along slowly enough to be timed by a sundial, Desai, the big lefty from Shrewsbury, MA, had multiple strikeouts in every inning but the fourth, and struck out the side in the fifth.
The Chiefs threatened to blow the game open on several occasions, but were stymied by Royals’ lefty Jonathan Richard and reliever Austin Batchelor, who combined to strand no less than 16 Chiefs on the bases.
The Chiefs gave Desai what would prove to be all the runs he would need when they sent 10 men to the plate men before he took the mound. Singles from Steve Gambale and Mike Burgoyne, a Matt Nuzzo double, walks to Mike Andre, Mike Barbati, and Chad Conner, and a two-run outfield error off the bat of Nate Witkowski, stalked Desai to 4-0 lead.
The Royals answered back in the bottom of the first when a Wagner Gomez single cut the lead to 4-1.
The Chiefs left two runners stranded in scoring position in the top of the second and the Royals chopped another run off the lead in the bottom of the inning. Singles from Rob Caggiano and Nick Valdario, made it a 4-2 game as the game limped into the third inning.
Despite the slow pace of the game, it stayed 4-2 until the top of the sixth. Barbati reached on an error and Mike DICato’s sacrifice bunt was thrown into right field, allowing Barbati to score all the way from first, increasing the lead to 5-2.
The Chiefs picked up an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Batchelor walked Tony Serino, Andre, Barbati, and then Mike DiCato, with the bases loaded, jumping the margin to 6-2.
Desai finished his effort strongly with two strikeouts in the bottom of the seventh, including Luke Ronchi swinging, to end the game.
Deasi, who struck out 180 batters in just 128.1 innings in his Boston Park League career, threw 110 pitches in his complete game effort while scattering seven hits. He raised his record to 2-0 on the season. He picked up his other win on June 12 when he threw three scoreless and hitless innings against the Melrose Americans in a 3-1 Chiefs victory.
Weather permitting, the Chiefs will travel to Summer Street Field in Arlington on Friday night at 7:00 PM to meet the Trojans. -Ian Roberts for www.intercityleaguebaseball.com
Reds Break Open Game to Blank Chiefs 10-0
The game featured a decent pitcher’s duel between Matt Horan of the Reds and the Chiefs’ Jared Freni for five innings, before the floodgates opened for the Reds after Freni's departure after five innings.
The Reds took a 1-0 first inning lead on doubles from Mike Samko and Dan Chaisson.
They added an unearned run in the top of the fifth on a Justin Forman double, a walk, and an error by Freni covering first base on the back end of an attempted doubleplay.
Horan, who pitched a no-hitter last Thursday against Arlington, wiggled his way out of jams in the first, third, fourth, and fifth innings, as the Chiefs left eight men on base over the first five frames.
Andrew Chin came on to start the sixth and dug himself a hole with four walks. Joe Saia relieved Chin after just one-third of an inning as the Reds scored three times to take a 5-0 lead.
Tony Deshler worked the seventh for the Chiefs and the Reds added five more runs to account for the 10-0 final.
Forman, Samko, and Chaisson each had two hits for Watertown while Matt Nuzzo had three hits for the Chiefs.
Horan, the former Franklin Pierce righty who had a 17-11 career record in Independent ball over the last few seasons, improved his record to 4-0 while allowing seven hits in six innings.
Freni fell to 3-2 despite striking out seven and surrendering just four hits in five innings. Chiefs’ pitching walked nine batters and hit two more.
The Chiefs will look to rebound when they begin a three game road trip on Thursday when they travel to Trum Field in Somerville to meet the Royals at 8:15 PM. -Ian Roberts
Freni 16K Two-Hitter, Andre 4 RBI's Leads to 8-1 Win Over Somerville
With the 16 K’s, Freni passed Dave Marsters and became the Chiefs’ all-time career strikeout leader with 781.
After taking a loss in the season opener, despite allowing only two hits in 4.1 innings, Freni pitched a no-hitter against Melrose on June 14 and a three-hitter against Watertown last week, before adding his latest gem.
Freni struck out the Somerville side looking in the top of the first and his mates gave him all the runs he would need in the bottom of the inning. Torrid Tony Serino stayed hot and led off with a double to left-center and Mike DiCato drew a walk from Royals starter Rich Gilbride. The Chiefs caught a break when Johnny Welch’s sky high flyball to left was lost in the twilight sky and went for a double, with Serino scoring the first run. Peter Copa’s fielder’s choice scored DiCato with the second run before Mike Andre’s single to left scored Welch to make it 3-0.
The Chiefs made it 5-0 in the bottom of the third against reliever Austin Batchelor. Welch led off and drilled a double to right-center, Copa drew a walk, and Andre’s single to left made it 4-0. It went to 5-0 when Mike Burgoyne’s infield grounder was bobbled, allowing Copa to score.
The Chiefs put the game out of reach when they scored three more times in the bottom of the fourth to take an 8-0 lead. Singles from Nick Leva and DiCato, a Copa RBI single, and a two RBI double from Andre accounted for the runs.
Freni struck out the side in the first, fifth, and seventh innings. Jake Cintolo’s single in the fourth broke up the no hit bid. The only other hit was a John Collette two out single in the top of the sixth after the Royals scored an unearned run.
The Chiefs travel to Lexington tonight to meet the Blue Sox at 8:00 PM.
More Soon-B.T.
