Andre Chiefs

Malden, MA- Jordan Pallazola, with two doubles and three RBI's, and Mike Andre, both delivered clutch two out hits when the Chiefs edged the upstart Somerville Royals 4-3 on Wednesday night at Maplewood.

For the Chiefs, it was their fifth straight win and their seventh in the last eight games. The victory allowed them to move into sole posssesion of first place in the torrid ICL pennant chase.

The Chiefs were outhit 9-4 in then game but made the most of their opportunities on this night.

The Royals took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning before veteran Tim Dunphy recovered in time to record two key strikeouts with Royals runners at second at third. After former Chief Rob Caggiano grounded out, singles from Jake Cintolo and John Collette, and an RBI double by Wagner Gomez, gave the Royals the lead and set them up with two runners in scoring position with one out. Dunphy came up large and limited the damage to just one run by striking out both Drew Carter and Luke Ronchi in succession to end the inning.

Somerville starter Mike Masulli had a rocky beginning and walked Tony Serino to open the home half of the first but picked him off attempting to steal second. Masulli then walked Tony Deshler and he moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. The Chiefs came away empty handed when Billy Mottram popped up and Peter Copa grounded out to Gomez at third to end the inning.

Dunphy settled in nicely in the top of the second and retired the side in order, with two strikeouts.

Pallazola led off the bottom of the second and reached on a two base throwing error by Gomez. Masulli retired Ryan Sonberg on a warning track flyout that was run down by Ronchi in right-center with Pallazola tagging and easily moving to third. Steve Gambale then lined out to Caggiano at short before veteran Mike Andre delivered the first of the Chiefs' three clutch two out hits in the game when he lined single to right that scored Pallazola and tied the game at 1-1.

Dunphy retired Caggiano on an grounder to Witkowski and then struck out Cintolo for the first two outs of the Royals' third. Consecutive singles to left from Collette and Gomez gave the visitors two men on base before Dunphy pitched out of it by retiring Carter on a fly to Serino in center.

Serino led off the bottom of the third with a single. Deshler worked his second straight walk and when both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch the Chiefs had two runners in scoring position with nobody out. Masulii then got Mottram on a pop up and Copa on an infield grounder before Pallazola delivered the second of the Chiefs' key two out hits in the game with a laser double to left-center that scored Serino and Deshler for a 3-1 lead. Sonberg hit the ball hard again but Ronchi ran down his drive to center that stranded Pallazola to retire the side.

After a scoreless fourth inning, the Royals tied things up in the top of the fifth. A Cintolo one out single, followed by a long RBI double by Collette, put runners on second and third. With the Chiefs infield playing back, Gomez grounded out to Steve Gambale at second base, scoring Cintolo, to cut the lead to 3-2. Carter was next and he pulled the Royals even with a sharp single to left that plated Collette.

Deshler grounded out to short to begin the Chiefs' fifth and Mottram drew Masulli's fourth walk of the night. Mottram moved into scoring position by stealing second prior to Copa flying out to center for the second out. It was Pallazola's turn again with two away and he came up big once more with another double, and the third of the Chiefs' clutch two out hits, when he drove home Mottram with what proved to be the game winning run. Sonberg was frustrated for the third straight time when he lined a seed right at Gomez, that left Pallazola at standing at second, to end the inning.

Righty Mike DiCato replaced Dunphy and made quick work of the Royals in the top of the sixth on two infield grounders and a fly ball.

Paul Pollano got the Chiefs in order in the bottom of the sixth but was aided by some fine outfield defense when Ronchi made a nice grab of a Gamable liner to left-center and and then Carter who ran down an Andre liner deep down the rightfield line.

It was six up and six down for DiCato when he got Jonathan Richard and Caggiano to bounce out before striking out Cintolo swinging to end the game.

Dunphy raised his season mark to 4-1-1. He allowed three earned runs, nine hits, and struck out five in his five innings of work. DiCato, who was making his team leading ninth appearance of the year, picked up his first save.

Chiefs Chatter....The team received what appears to be encouraging news on the injury front. Outfielder Mike Burgoyne's x-rays proved to be negative when he was diagnosed with a sprained ankle. He is expected to return in time for the ICL playoffs. Pitcher Matt DiCato was not as fortunate with a fractured bone near his eye, but he is also expected to return in time for the post-season.....The 18-6-1 Chiefs are now off until Sunday when they travel to Walsh Field at Wakefield High School to meet the Merchants in an early 4:00 PM start..... 
Ian Roberts and Steve Hartwell Photography for ICL Baseball

Malden, MA- Mitchell Clegg and Mike DiCato limited Wakefield to just four hits, and the Chiefs used a big double from Jordan Pallazola and scored eight times in the bottom of the fifth inning, on the way to a 10-2 win at Maplewood on Monday night.

The Chiefs didn't exactly have their hitting shoes on either as they only managed six hits in the game but were the recipients of ten walks and took advantage of three Merchants' errors.

The Merchants took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Clegg hit leadoff man Lou Tarrantino with a pitch, he was sacrificed to second by Scott Searles, and scored on Mike Sorrentino's double to left.

Wakefield starter Joe Westerman and Clegg threw hitless baseball over the next inning and a half until Chiefs got the equalizer in the bottom of the third. Tony Serino doubled into the left-centerfield gap with one out, moved to third on Mike Burgoyne's groundout, and scored when Westerman uncorked a wild pitch with Billy Mottram at the plate.

The Merchants came right back and regained the lead in the top of the fourth on singles from Joe Barry and Paul McGonagle, a couple of walks, and a Jonathan Pierce RBI fielder's choice.

Clegg worked an easy top of the fifth, striking out the last two batters of the inning, and the Chiefs took the lead when they sent a dozen batters to the plate in the home half of the inning. Nate Witkowski drew a leadoff walk, and the Chiefs caught a break and everyone was safe when Serino's sacrifice bunt was bobbled. The Chiefs went the sacrifice bunt route again, this time dropped by Burgoyne, who moved the runners to second and third with one out. Westerman then walked Mottram and Peter Copa in succession to force in Witkowski as the Chiefs pulled even at 2-2. With the bases still loaded, Pallazola quickly unloaded them with a bomb double to left-center, scoring Serino and Mottram, and putting the Chiefs in front 4-2. When Ryan Sonberg followed with a single to center, scoring Copa and Pallazola, the Chiefs jumped their lead to 6-2 and chased Westerman in favor of Drew Johnson. Steve Gambale then reached on an error and Mike Andre grounded out, before another walk to Witkowski and then another free pass to Serino, followed by a two RBI single from Burgoyne, who was out trying to stretch it to a double, accounted for three more runs and a 9-2 Chiefs lead.

Mike DiCato spelled Clegg on this exceptionally humid night in the top of the sixth and got the Wakefield side in order.

The Chiefs made it 10-2 in the bottom of the sixth on two more walks to Motram and Copa, and Wakefield's third error of the game on a botched doubleplay ball off the bat of Pallazola.

DiCato faced just three batters in the top of the seventh when Tarrantino singled, but was erased on a doubleplay, before striking out Sorrentino to end the game.

Clegg, who raised his record to 4-3, worked five innings, gave up three hits, walked four and struck out nine. DiCato allowed one hit and struck out two over the final two frames. Westerman, now 2-3, took the loss.

Chiefs Chatter.....The 16-6-1 Chiefs travel to Morelli Field in Melrose to visit the Americans on Tuesday at 7:30 PM before returning home to Maplewood to host the Somerville Royals on Wednesday at 8:15 PM....Monday's victory was the 10th time this season the Chiefs have rallied from a deficit to win a game.... 

Melrose, MA- Another wacky night at Morelli Field and this time around it wasn't the water sprinkler in leftfield. This time it was opposite side of the yard's turn as rightfield was the place to be to witness a host of bizzare occurances as well as some spectacular and then some more near spectacular plays.

On a night when every fly ball was an adventure, and by the seventh inning there were almost as many Chiefs in the Emergency Room than available in the dugout, the locals somehow held on for a Stephen King like 5-4 win over the Americans, thanks mostly to the lights out 1.1 inning pitching of closer Anthony Sullivan.

First the casualty report. Mike Burgoyne had to be carried off the field with an ankle injury after taking a bad step rounding second base in the top of the third inning. Teammate Matt DiCato joined Burgoyne a few innings later at the nearby Melrose-Wakefield Hospital when he took a ball off his right eye in a bullpen mishap.

Now to the happenings that permeated the game with most taking place in rightfield.

Things started normally enough when Chiefs' starter Sam Kasten and Americans' righty Dillon Corliss both wiggled out of some minor jams over the first two and a half innings.

The Chiefs broke through and took a 1-0 lead as the top of the third came to a conclusion in peculiar fashion. Tony Deshler got things underway with a line single to left. Corliss got Nate Witkowski to fly to Nick Herzog in rightfield, in a preview of things to come, for the first out. Tony Serino then reached when his chopper was bobbled to put runners at first and second. Burgoyne was next and he grounded out to short, forcing Serino at second, for out number two. Juan Portes followed and lined a hard grounder off Corliss that bounced into no man's land in short rightfield, scoring Deshler. As Burgoyne was rounding second he went down in a heap a few feet beyond the bag. As he lay writhing in pain, the Americans' were easily able to retrive the ball in shallow rightfield and walk over and tag him out to end the inning.

Kasten retired the Melrose side in order in the bottom of third, aided by a 4-6-3 doubleplay off the bat of Mike Addesa after Christian Rosati drew a one out walk, and Corliss did the same to the Chiefs in the top of the fourth.

Kasten recorded his second consecutive 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fourth before the Chiefs caught a big break and scored four times in the top of the fifth. Deshler drew a one out walk and Witkowski and Serino both singled to put the Chiefs up 2-0. Mike DiCato, who replaced Burgoyne in left, then reached on a fielder's choice that pushed Serino to second and Witkowski to third. Portes then lofted what appeared to be an inning ending routine fly ball to rightfield that Herzog lost in the twilight sky and went for a two run double and 4-0 Chiefs' lead. The lead went to 5-0 when Peter Copa lined a Corliss pitch into the left-center gap for a double that scored Portes. Craziness continued when Copa took off and took third as Corliss was waiting for the ball to come back to the mound. That's as far as Copa got as Jordan Pallazola flew to Herzog in rightfield to end the inning.

Perilous outfield flies, as well as a close pitch, led to a three run Americans' uprising in the bottom of the fifth inning. Kasten struck out both Kevin Kelley and Dan Cacciola for the first two outs of the inning. The count went full to Austin Masel before he walked on an extremely close pitch. Kasten then walked Tom Petry to put Americans at first and second. The shallow rightfield area was again the culprit as neither second baseman Steve Gambale or Deshler apparently saw Rosati's fly off the bat and it fell between them for an RBI single. Addesa was next and the veteran hit a fly to shallow center that Serino got a late jump on and eventually dropped as Petry raced home with the second Melrose run. John Jennings then lined Kasten's next pitch to left, scoring Rosati, to close the gap to 5-3. Kasten averted further damage when he struck out Chris Lanzilli to close the inning.

A Deshler one out single is all the Chiefs could generate against Corliss in the top of the sixth.

The Americans got the tying run in scoring position before the game was delayed for a second time in the bottom of the sixth. Herzog led off the inning with a single to center and a Kelley groundout sent him to second. With two lefthanders scheduled in succession, the Chiefs went the matchup route and opted for veteran Tim Dunphy who came out of the Chiefs' rightfield bullpen to face Cacciola and got him to dribble a ball a few feet from the plate that Pallazola pounced on and fired to first for the second out. The rightfield bleachers were once again the prime place to be when Masel sent a line shot into the rightfield corner that Deshler went full out on with a diving attempt and almost pulled off the catch of the year but the ball rolled out of his glove for a run scoring double that cut the lead to 5-4. As Sullivan was concluding his warmups down the rightfield line, DiCato was struck in the eye area and the game was put on hold for a few minutes as he was attended to. When play resumed and Sullivan took the bump, you guessed it, Copa made an outstanding and inning ending over the shoulder grab of a Petry fly down the rightfield line that had a game tying double written all over it.

The Chiefs got two men on in the top of the seventh via Serino's third single of the game and a walk to Copa before Corliss kept it a one run game when Pallazola sent Herzog back to the warning track in (where else?) rightfield to end the inning.

Pinch-hitter Andre Gaudet lined the first pitch of the Americans seventh (you guessed correctly again) to rightfield before Sullivan turned the game into his own personal stage. The former St. John's University star and California Angels product proceeded to strike out the next three batters, using a blistering fastball, to seal the win.

Kasten upped his record to 2-1 while getting the win. The Muhlenberg College righty went 5.1 innings, gave up two earned runs, six hits, and struck out three.

Corliss (1-3) went the distance, surrendered nine hits, and struck out four.

Chiefs Chatter....Portes had three RBI's in the game.....Morelli Field was the scene of last season's Game Three of the Championship Series that had to suspended when the game went past midnight and the automated sprinler system kicked in and couldn't be shut off..... It was Halloween night in the ICL as the strange happenings weren't limited to Melrose. The Bulldogs-Royals game at Trum Field was halted in top of the second inning due to power failure that sent that area of Somerville into darkness. The Bulldogs were batting when the field went black with a 1-0 count on a hitter. The game will be resumed with Somerville leading 3-1 at a time and place to be determined.....There was no report received as to the extent of the Chiefs' injuries although both players appeared to be in good spirits when they left the field.....The 17-6-1 Chiefs host the Royals at Maplewood on Wednesday at 8:15 PM......
Bruce Tillman & Ian Roberts contributed to this report for ICL Baseball

Malden, MA- Brothers Matt and Mike DiCato handled the pitching and Juan Portes supplied a three run homer when the Chiefs beat the Lexington Blue Sox 6-4 at Maplewood Park on Wednesday night. With the win, the 15-6-1 Chiefs clinched a berth in the 2016 Intercity League Playoffs.

The Chiefs opened the scoring and took a 2-0 lead off Blue Sox starter Jimmy Hill in the bottom of the first. Mike Burgoyne and Portes both singled to put runners on the corners with one out. Hill then uncorked a wild pitch and Burgoyne slid home with the game's first run. Peter Copa followed and drove home Portes with a double to left-center.

Matt DiCato stranded Frank Frias after he reached in a lost in the twilight triple with one out in the top of the second, and the Chiefs padded thier lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the inning. Nate Witkowski led off with a single, moved to second and then third on wild pitches, and scored on Steve Gambale's sacrifice fly to right.

Lexington came up with a run on a Justin Silvestro single in the top of the third to make it 3-1 and then loaded the bases with nobody out. DiCato pulled off the escape when he got Alex Voitik on a comebacker, struck out Dorian Rojas, and then retired Frias on a grounder to keep the Chiefs in the lead.

Hill struck out the Chiefs' side in the bottom of the third and Mike DiCato replaced his brother and kept the Blue Sox off the scoreboard in the top of the fourth.

The Chiefs opened then opened the lead to 6-1 in the bottom of the fourth when Tony Serino and Gambale both reached on infield singles before Portes sent a Hill pitch over the left-centerfield fence for a three run homer.

It stayed a 6-1 game until the Blue Sox made things interesting in the top of the seventh. Singles from Tom Russo, Julian Alvarez, and John Puttress, an infield error, and a double by Silvestro, cut the lead to 6-4. The Blue Sox had the tying runs on base before Mike DiCato struck out Ryan McCarthy, swinging on a full count fastball, to end the game.

Mike DiCato (4-1) picked up the win with four innings of relief. He gave up three runs (two earned), four hits, struck out two and walked two. Matt went three innings, allowed one earned run, four hits, and also struck out two.

The Chiefs are off until Monday when they will host the Wakefield Merchants at Maplewood in an 8:15 PM start.

Malden, MA- The Chiefs scored three times in the bottom of the fifth inning, to break a 1-1 tie, and went on to beat the Arlington Trjoans 4-1 in an all-southpaw pitching battle at Maplewood on Monday night.

Mitchell Clegg and former Chief Evan Walsh hooked up in a pretty decent pitching duel for 4 1/2 innings until the Chiefs broke through with the game winning runs.

Arlington looked poised to take an early lead when Owen Shea and Kyle Bourdrais opened the game with singles. Clegg got the first two outs of the inning when he got Kyle Hood to pop up and Morgan Brown to groundout. Second baseman Steve Gambale then turned in the web gem of the night when he robbed Ben Johnston of a least an RBI single with a sliding grab of a blooper down the rightfield line.

Walsh retired the Chiefs' side in order in the bottom of the first and both sides went quietly in the second inning.

The Trojans broke the scoring ice in the top of the third. Clegg issued his only walk of the night to Shea and he promptly stole second. After a flyout, Kyle Hood gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with a double into the leftfield corner. That's all the Trojans would get as Clegg struck out Brown prior to Johnston bouncing to Gambale to end the inning.

The Chiefs tied things up when they scored a run in the bottom of the third. Mike Burgoyne singled with two away and moved to second on a wild pitch. Mike DiCato followed and drove Burgoyne home with a single to right.

Nothing happening for either team in the fourth inning and Clegg got the Trojans in order on three groundouts in the top of the fifth.

Hood made a nice diving stop of Mike Andre's hard grounder but couldn't throw him out from his knees at first to open the bottom of the fifth. Adam Lucey came on to pinch run and immediately moved to second on a passed ball. Gambale followed with a high chopper between the mound and first that Brown charged and fired to third to just miss throwing out the sliding Lucey on a close play. With runners on the corners, Burgoyne delivered the loudest hit of the night when he doubled to left-center, scoring both Lucey and Gambale, and then went to third when the throw home went astray. After Walsh got DiCato to groundout, Burgoyne used some heady baserunning on a Sonberg bouncer to third, waiting for Bourdaris to throw to first before using his speed to slide home with the Chiefs' fourth run.

After a one out Johnston single in the top of the sixth, a Billy Mottram to Gambale to Peter Copa 5-4-3 doubleplay retired the Arlington side.

Walsh got the Chiefs on three straight infield grounders in the bottom of the sixth (Jordan Pallazola, Nate Witkowski, and pinch-hitter Sammy Wishnow).

Clegg struck out the first two batters of the seventh before Ryan Hood reached on an infield single. Clegg closed out the game when he got Shea to pop up to Gambale.  

With the complete game 76 pitch effort, Clegg evened his season mark to 3-3. He struck out six and scattered seven hits.

Walsh allowed just six hits and struck out three while falling to 0-4 on the year.  

Chiefs Chatter....The 14-6-1 Chiefs are off on Tuesday and return to Maplewood to host the Lexington Blue Sox on Wednesday at 8:15 PM. The Blue Sox edged the Reading Bulldogs 3-2 on Monday night in Lexington....With Monday's win, the Chiefs assured themselves of a winning season for the ninth straight year and the 51st time in 53 seasons.....
Courtesy Jim Valente