Andre Chiefs

By Bruce Tillman
Special to andrechiefs.com
Melrose, MA

He’s back!!! 

Big time!!!

Overpowering. Dominating. Unhittable.

Those were just a few of the words that were being thrown around Morelli Field on Wednesday night when Jared Freni tossed the third no-hitter of his long and illustrious ICL career in a 3-0 Chiefs’ win over the Melrose Americans. 

Freni was truly “Freni-like” from start to finish. Remarkably he DID NOT ALLOW A BALL TO LEAVE THE INFIELD. He struck out 14 batters, with 12 of those going down swinging, and retired seven others on infield grounders.

By Freni standards, despite finishing 4-1, 2016 was a not a typical year for the Chiefs’ ace, primarily due to a couple of nagging injuries that limited him to eight appearances and a career low 36 innings. With Wednesday’s effort, the big right-hander may have just served notice that the four time ICL Pitcher of the Year is back in form.

If you missed the top of the fourth inning, then you missed all of the hits and runs that were recorded in the rapidly played game.

Melrose lefty Kyle Autilio (0-1) was nearly as good, expect for the Chiefs’ fourth, when the visitors scored three runs on the only four hits they would have on the night. Tony Serino led the inning off with a single up the middle and Mike DiCato followed with another single to left. Matt Nuzzo’s grounder forced DiCato at second for the first out with Serino moving to third. Mike Gedman followed and broke the scoring ice with a line RBI single to right that scored Serino and sent Nuzzo to third. Peter Copa then drove another RBI single to left, scoring Nuzzo, to make it 2-0. Mike Barbati was next and he grounded out, forcing Copa at second, but the throw to first sailed high for an error, allowing Gedman to score the Chiefs’ third run. The only other baserunner the Chiefs had on the night, against Autilio and Simon Gonzalez who worked a 1-2-3 seventh, was a one out walk to Mike Burgoyne in the sixth. The Americans’ duo retired the Chiefs side in order in the other five innings.

The Americans did have a couple of book end scoring chances in the first, and then again in the seventh. Nick Herzog led off the bottom of the first with a walk. He stole second, moved to third on a passed ball, before Freni got Malcolm Nachmanoff on a slow roller to Barbati at second base to end the inning.

Melrose got the first two batters on in the bottom of seventh on a walk and hit batsman, but Freni reached back and struck out the next three batters swinging to complete the gem.

Freni, who now has a career 62-12 ICL record, threw 112 pitches on the night.

Boxscore at www.intercityleaguebaseball.com

Chiefs Chatter….Freni’s first career no-hitter came on June 12, 2013, when he struck out 14 batters in a 2-0 win over the Watertown Reds at Victory Field. His second was at Endicott College on June 2, 2015, when he struck out 15 in a 3-0 season opening win over the Reading Bulldogs…..Veteran catcher Nick Leva, who made his first start of the year behind the plate on Wednesday, has been on the receiving end of all three of Freni’s no-no’s…...The Red Sox and MLB should take note- the game was played in one hour and twenty-six minutes…..Nuzzo had to leave the game after apparently tweaking a hamstring rounding second base in the top of the fourth inning…...Johnny Welch was out of the Chiefs’ lineup for the second consecutive game…..The game was the first in recent ICL memory where all runs and hits recorded by both teams were done so in a half inning. It was also the first time in Chiefs’ history that a pitcher did not allow a ball to be hit out of the infield in a complete game effort…..Melrose sent five consecutive pinch-hitters to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning…...Not exactly a stellar early season offensive stretch as the Americans and Chiefs combined for a feeble total of 11 hits in their two games played this week. The Chiefs had only three hits and the Americans four in Monday’s 3-1 Chiefs’ win…..In a scheduling oddity, the Chiefs are now off until next Monday when they host the Lexington Blue Sox at Maplewood in a 8:15 PM start….

JARED FRENI’S NO-HITTER (INNING BY INNING)
FIRST INNING-Herzog walked, Berg struck out swinging, Shakleford struck out swinging, Nachmanoff grounded out 4-3.
  
SECOND INNING-Center struck out swinging, Huegi struck out swinging, LaRovere struck out looking.

THIRD INNING-Boyce grounded out 6-3, Cacciola grounded out 4-3, Herzog was HBP, Berg struck out looking.

FOURTH INNING- Shakleford walked, Nachmanoff grounded out 4-3, Center struck out swinging, Huegi struck out swinging.

FIFTH INNING- LaRovere grounded out 3-U, Boyce grounded out 6-3, Cacciola struck out swinging.

SIXTH INNING- Herzog grounded out 1-6-3, Berg struck out swinging, Shakleford struck out swinging.

SEVENTH INNING- PH Goddu walked, PH Gaudett was HBP, PH Hopkins struck out swinging, PH Licciardello struck out swinging, PH Hosman struck out swinging. 

CHIEFS NO-HITTERS IN THE LAST TEN YEARS
June 14, 2017- Jared Freni vs Melrose Americans at Morelli Field (Win 3-0)
July 29, 2015- Mitchell Clegg vs Watertown Reds at Victory Field (Win 6-0)
June 2, 2015- Jared Freni vs Reading Bulldogs at Endicott College (Win 3-0)
June 12, 2013- Jared Freni vs Watertown Reds at Victory Field (Win 2-0)
June 30, 2011- Rob Machado vs Reading Bulldogs at Tufts University (Win 4-0)
July 9, 2011- Mike DiCato vs Mooney Dental Tanners at Tufts University (Win 9-0)
June 14, 2007- Keith Forbes vs Wakefield Merchants at Walsh Field (Win 2-0) 

Malden, MA-Josh Desai threw three innings of superb hitless relief, picking up his first ICL win, to lead the Chiefs past the Melrose Americans 3-1 at steamy Maplewood Park on Monday night.

Desai came on to spell fellow lefty and Chiefs’ starter Andrew Chin, who was impressive in his own right, to begin the fifth inning. 

Chin and the Chiefs escaped a potential jam in the top of the first when centerfielder Tony Serino hosed out Will Shakleford (infield single) trying to go first to third on a John Jennings base hit.

Melrose starter Shawn Smeglin (0-1) and Chin, with two K’s in the top of the second, kept it a scoreless game until the Chiefs tallied a couple of times in the bottom of the second. Mike Gedman led things off with a double off the top of the fence in left-center. Peter Copa and Mike Andre then drew consecutive walks to load the bases. Veteran Mike Barbati gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead with a single up the middle scoring Gedman. Catcher Shane Stande followed and bumped the lead to 2-0, delivering Copa with a sacrifice fly to left.

Hunter Boyce led off the Americans’ third with a single, and after a fielder’s choice, Chin ended the frame when Matt Nuzzo gloved a liner at third off the bat of Nick Herzog and fired across the diamond to Copa for an inning ending doubleplay.

Nuzzo gave the Chiefs a 3-0 lead when he hit a solo homer to straight-away center with one away in the bottom of the third.

Chin experienced some control issues in the top of the fourth that led to Melrose’s only run of the night before pitching himself out of a bases loaded jam. Shakleford and Jennings drew one out walks and Malcolm Nachmanoff loaded the bases when he hit an artificial turf bouncing single over Nuzzo’s head. Chin then struck out Dave Center for the second out before his third walk of the inning to Kevin Kelley forced in Shakleford to make it 3-1. The former Boston College lefty rebounded and kept the Chiefs in the lead when he caught Boyce looking at a third strike to end the inning.

The Chiefs went quietly in the bottom of the fourth and Deasi came out of the bullpen and retired the side in order in the Americans’ fifth.

The Chiefs bid to pad their lead went by the boards in the bottom of the fifth after reliever Zeke Berg walked both Serino and Gedman but kept it 3-1 when he got Copa on a liner to right-center.

Deasi had another strong inning with two strikeouts in the top of the sixth and Berg matched that with two K’s of his own in the bottom of the inning.

Desai struck out Kelley to open the seventh, got Boyce on a grounder to Copa, before hitting pinch-hitter Mike LoRovere with a pitch. He sealed the win when he got Herzog on a two-hopper to shortstop Nate Witkowski to end the game.

Chin went four innings, gave up four hits and struck out four. Desai (1-0), struck out four in his three innings. 

Boxscore at www.Intercityleaguebaseball.com
Chiefs Chatter……Gedman doubled in the second inning in his first ICL at bat since August 23, 2015. He missed all of 2016…..Nuzzo’s solo homer was his first in the Intercity League. Before his career in the Cape Cod League and later with the Toronto Blue Jays, the former Everett High and Brown University star had six at bats with the Wakefield Merchants way back in 2006….Stande made his first ICL start behind the plate. The former Boston Park League standout delivered an RBI in his first at bat with a second inning sacrifice fly…..The Chiefs are expected to send Jared Freni to the mound on Tuesday night when they travel to Trum Field in Somerville to meet the Royals at 8:15 PM….The Chiefs and Americans tangle again on Wednesday at Morelli Field in Melrose at 7:30 PM…..
-Ian Roberts for ICL Baseball

Somerville, MA -A severe thunderstorm that hit Somerville, MA with high winds, heavy rain, and localized hail, around 5:30 PM, has caused tonight’s Chiefs at Royals game to be postponed.

Trum Field, pictured underwater at left at 6:15 PM, was deemed unplayable by the Royals. There are also several down trees and power outages being reported throughout the Somerville area.

The game will be made up on Thursday, July 6 at Trum at 8:15 PM.

-Courtesy of the Somerville Royals & www.intercityleaguebaseball.com

Hometown: Bristow, OK    College: Texas Tech    Professional: San Francisco Giants
Veteran catcher came aboard with the Chiefs organization way back in 2007….Made his Chiefs' debut on July 5, 2007 against the Wakefield....Has been limited over the last few seasons due to injuries….Missed all of 2016......Was limited to 10 at bats in 2015 and went 3 for 10 with a couple of RBI's.....Appeared in seven games during the championship season of 2014 and had a homer and seven RBI's......Caught ten games for the Chiefs in 2013 and batted .409 (9-22) with five RBI….Caught Rob Machado's no-hitter on June 30, 2011 and also homered in the game vs Reading at Tufts University.....Played at Texas Tech and then spent a few seasons in the San Francisco Giants organization……Chad is baseball instructor, administrator and coach….He served as Director of Baseball Operations at Marshall University in 2009….Spent a few summers coaching in the Cape Cod League with the Brewster….Also involved with Farm Academy Baseball and USA Baseball in 2013….

The Chiefs will play the first of three games in a row when they host the Melrose Americans on Monday night at Maplewood Park, on the campus of Malden Catholic, at 8:15 PM.

On Tuesday, the club will travel to Trum Field in Somerville to meet the Royals at 8:15 PM before heading for Morelli Field in Melrose for a rematch with the Ameriacns on Wednesday at 7:30 PM.

Chiefs Chatter....In Sunday's ICL games, the Watertown Reds swept a doubleheader from the Wakefield Merchants at Walsh Field by identical 4-3 scores. At Endicott College in Beverly, the Americans shutout the Reading Bulldogs 2-0. Complete results are available at www.intercityleaguebaseball.com....The ICL's annual $10,000 raffle and all you can eat Chinese food buffet will be held on Friday, June 23 at the Woburn Sons of Italy. Tickets will be available soon.....
Ian Roberts for www.andrechiefs.com