News and Announcements
Game in Lexington Suspended in 7th with Chiefs Leading 4-2
Lexington, MA- Due to issues with the water sprinkler system in Lexington, Thursday’s Andre Chiefs at Lexington Blue Sox game was suspended.
The game was stopped in the bottom of the seventh inning with the Chiefs leading 4-2. The Chiefs had scored three runs in the top of the seventh to take the 4-2 lead.
At the time the game was suspended, Thomas Russo was batting with a 1-2 count, 0 outs, and nobody on base.
The game will be resumed at that point at a date to be announced.
Courtesy www.intercityleaguebaseball.com
Hometown: Everett, MA College: Framingham State
Outfielder began his Chiefs' career in 2017.....Appeared in 11 games as rookie.....Recorded his first ICL hit against Wakefield on July 23.....Originally played at Malden High before finishing up his high school playing days for the Everett Crimson Tide of the Greater Boston League......Hit .385 in limited playing appearances in 2016 for the Malden Giants of the North Shore Baseball League including two doubles....Hit .258 (16-62) and scored 10 runs in 24 games in 2015 for the McKay Club Beacons of the Yawkey League..... Added two doubles, four multiple hit games, and eight RBI's for McKay......Attended Assumption College in Worcester, MA before transferring and playing for Framingham State during this past spring...
Wakefield Six Run First Sinks Chiefs 6-3
With the win, the Merchants snapped the Chiefs’ winning streak at five games.
Wakefield sent eleven batters to the plate in their first at bat, with Chin lasting just 0.2 innings. Singles from Scott Searles, Josh Band and Bobby Losanno, doubles from Mark Webber and Mike Sorrentino, and three walks led to the six runs.
Tim Dunphy, who got the last out in the top of the first, blanked the Merchants over the next two frames before the Chiefs tried to make it a ballgame when they scored twice against Andrew Auld in the bottom of third. Singles from Shane Stande, Mike Burgoyne, Tony Serino and Mike DiCato led to the runs.
Dunphy threw two more shutout innings in the fourth and fifth before giving way to Joe Saia who worked the first of his two scoreless innings in the top of the sixth.
The Chiefs chopped another run off the lead, but couldn't get any closer, in the bottom of the sixth when Juan Portes walked, Copa reached on an infield single, and Mike Andre moved them up to second and third with a grounder to the right side. After Barbati grounded out, Copa scored the third run when Stande reached on an error.
Auld (1-0) went five innings plus to get the win before Spencer Meyer came on in relief.
Chin (0-1) took the loss. Dunphy worked 4.1 scoreless innings and allowed just three hits. Saia looked impressive and retired all six Merchants he faced including two strikeouts.
Chiefs Chatter….The Chiefs return to Maplewood on Wednesday to meet the Somerville Royals at 8:15 PM…..On Thursday, they travel to Lexington to face the Blue Sox at 8:00 PM…..Tony Serino had three of the Chiefs seven hits…..
--Ian Roberts
--Steve Hartwell Photo
Freni 3-Hitter, Welch 2 Run Homer, Leads to 3-1 Win over Reds
After Freni escaped a two on, (Kyle LaVigne walk, Will Brennan single) one out, jam in the top of the first, Welch gave the Chiefs all the runs they would need on the night when he homered down the left field line, scoring Tony Serino (walk) in front of him.
Reds’ hard luck starter and loser Dante Padovani (1-1) and Freni, who was aided by doubleplays in the third, fourth, and fifth innings, kept it a 2-0 game until the Chiefs made it 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth. Mike Burgoyne drew a walk, was bunted to second by catcher Nick Leva, and scored on an RBI single by Serino.
The Reds finally broke through against Freni in the top of the sixth when LaVigne drew his third straight walk, stole second, and scored all the way from second base on Mike Samko’s deep sacrifice fly to right-center to account for the 3-1 final.
Freni, (2-1) struck out seven and issued the three walks to LaVigne. Padovani struck out three, and walked two, both of which scored.
Chiefs Chatter…Brennan had two of the Reds hits while Chris Lanzilli had the third.....The Chiefs are off until Saturday when they play the Reading Bulldogs at Lexington High School at 11:00 AM. It is the opening game of a four game ICL set that is played each year in memory of Jerie DeAngelis. Melrose and Arlington play the second game at 1:15 PM, Watertown and Somerville meet at 3:30 PM, and Lexington and Wakefield play the nightcap at 5:45 PM….
Game Story & Statistics by Ian Roberts
Clegg Pitches Chiefs to 7-3 Win over Lexington
Malden, MA- The Chiefs faced two very difficult opponents on Monday night at Maplewood Park. The weather and the Lexington Blue Sox.
They beat both.
On the weather front, Maplewood somehow escaped a solid line of thunderstorms that were marching right toward it just before the scheduled first pitch. Oh, the rains did eventually come in the bottom of the fifth and remained steady the rest of the way, but held off just long enough to allow the game to be played in its entirety.
On the baseball side of things, the Chiefs got a light’s out six inning performance from southpaw Mitchell Clegg and erupted for six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, breaking open a 1-1 game, on the way to a solid 7-3 win.
The Chiefs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Tony Serino drew a walk off Blue Sox starter Drew Leenhouts. Serino moved to second on a Mike Barbati single and scored when Mike Gedman’s grounder was thrown away.
The Blue Sox tied things up in the top of the second when Alex Voitik singled, was sacrificed to second, moved to third on groundout, and then scored on a wild pitch.
Leenhouts kept the Chiefs scoreless in both the second and third innings.
Clegg had two K’s in the Blue Sox third, and was aided by a sparkling 3-6-3 doubleplay to end the top of fourth.
Reliever Chris Law came on for Leenhouts and blanked the Chiefs in the home half of the fourth.
Clegg had two more strikeouts in the top of fifth as the game moved to the bottom of the inning still tied at 1-1.
The Chiefs broke things open when they sent 10 men to the plate in the bottom of the fifth, scoring six times, to take a 7-1 lead as the rain began falling at a pretty decent pace. Nate Witkowski got things started with a line single to left off Law. Mike Burgoyne drew a walk and everyone was safe and the bases were loaded after Serino beat out a perfectly placed bunt. The Sox got the first out when Barbati grounded to Ross Curley at shortstop who fired home to force Witkowski. Johnny Welch was next and he hit a flare off the glove off second baseman Chris Ruocco in short right-field, that scored Burgoyne to make it 2-1, and was scored as a fielder’s choice RBI when Barbati was forced out at second. With runners on the corners, Serino was awarded home on a Law balk that increased the lead to 3-1. Gedman gave the Chiefs a 5-1 advantage when he drilled a Law offering over the right field fence, scoring Welch ahead of him. Peter Copa and Shane Stande followed with consecutive singles. Mike Andre then drilled an RBI single to right that skipped by Julian Alvarez all the way to the fence, scoring Copa and Stande, and allowing Andre to go all the way to third. With the rain falling, Bill Christopher took over for Law and got Witkowski on a fly to center to end the big inning with the Chiefs in front 7-1.
Clegg cruised through the top of the sixth with a strikeout and two grounders and Christopher had two K’s in the bottom of the inning.
The Sox made things a little interesting against Chiefs’ reliever Tim Dunphy in the top of the seventh. Dunphy walked both Alvarez and pinch-hitter Sam Goodwin-Boyd to open the inning. Kyle Allen pinch hit for Josue Feliciano and reached when Copa couldn’t handle his hard chopper, allowing Alvarez to score, making it 7-2 with still nobody out. Dorian Rojas then hit for John Puttress and delivered Goodwin-Boyd with the third run with a sacrifice fly to right. Dunphy settled in and preserved the win when he struck out Justin Silvestro, and then got Ruocco on fly ball, to end the game.
Clegg. 1-0 got the win. He struck out seven and allowed just three hits in 6.0 innings.
Boxscore at www.intercityleaguebaseball.com
Chiefs Chatter….Stande’s fifth inning single was the first of his ICL career…..For Clegg, it was his 15th win in a Chiefs’ uniform……The Chiefs return to Maplewood on Wednesday at 8:15 PM to meet the Watertown Reds…..On Saturday, they play the Reading Bulldogs in the ICL’s annual Jerie DeAngelis Memorial Day of Baseball at Lexington High at 11:00 AM……
Bruce Tillman for ICL Baseball
Bruce Hack-Statistics
