Andre Chiefs

Lexington, MA- Veteran right-hander Mike DiCato went the distance, scattering seven hits, when the Chiefs got a big early season road win in a 6-2 victory over the Blue Sox on Thursday night. With the win, the Chiefs and DiCato, who made his first appearnce eleven seasons ago in 2006, handed Manager Chuck Andre his 600th career win.

Lexington southpaw Jimmy Hill made quick work of the Chiefs in the top of the first and DiCato set the tone for the evening when he pitched out of a tight spot in the bottom of the inning. Ryan McCarthy and Ross Curley opened up the night with back to back singles to put runners on the corners with nobody out. DiCato got out of the jam unscathed when he got both Justin Silvestro and Julian Alvarez to both pop up and then struck out Tom Russo.

It was six Chiefs up and six Chiefs down in the top of the second when Hill cruised through another 1-2-3 inning.

The Blue Sox took a 1-0 lead after two were out in their half of the second when Jansiel Rivera drew a walk, stole second, and scored on Alex Voitik's RBI single to right.

The Chiefs came right back to take a 2-1 lead in top of the third. Nate Witkowski led things off with a single and moved to second on Mike Barbati's infield grounder. Hill issued Mike Burgoyne a four pitch walk before Danny DiMare laced a double to left-center, scoring Witkowski and sending Burgoyne to third, to tie the game at 1-1. Steve Gambale was next and he gave the Chiefs the lead when he plated Burgoyne with an RBI groundout to Curley at shortstop. Hill got Billy Mottram on a towering infield pop up to close the inning.

Curley led off the Blue Sox third with his second straight single. DiCato got Silvestro to lineout to DiMare in right before Barbati turned in a 4-unassisted-3 doubleplay off the bat of Alvarez.

Hill got the Chiefs in order for the third time in four innings in the top of the fourth before the Blue Sox knotted things up in the bottom of the inning on two Chiefs infield throwing errors and a Rivera RBI single. The Chiefs kept it a 2-2 game when they chalked up their second consecutive inning ending doubleplay, this time of the 1-6-3, (DiCato to Witkowski to Peter Copa) variety. The Chiefs took the lead for good in the top of the fifth when the torrid Witkowski led things off with a double to right. Barbati then advanced Witkowski to third with a grounder to the right side before Burgoyne delivered what proved to be the game winner with an RBI single to right.

Curley's third consecutive single of the game was all the Sox could muster against DiCato in the bottom of the fifth before the Chiefs opened up some breathing room by scoring three times in the top of the sixth against reliever C.J. Doskocil, who came on for Hill to start the frame. Ryan Sonberg, pinch hitting for Gambale, led off the inning with a line single to left-center. The Chiefs were in business with runners on second and third with nobody out when Mottram drilled a line single to right and went to second on the throw to third trying to get Sonberg. Copa then delivered the biggest hit of the night when he drilled a 2-2 pitch into the left-centerfield gap for a two run double and a 5-2 Chiefs' lead. Mike Andre followed and flew to deep right allowing Copa to tag and move to third. Catcher Jordan Pallazola was next and he scored Copa with a single up the middle for the Chiefs' sixth run.

The Blue Sox appeared to have a threat brewing in the bottom of the sixth when Tom Russo drew a leadoff walk and Kevin Davis blooped an opposite field, one out single, just inside the leftfield line. The threat went by the boards when the Chiefs turned their third inning ending doubleplay of the game when Rivera hit a grounder to Barbati who flipped to Witkowski and then on to Copa, sending the game to the seventh with the four run lead intact.

Mottam's second single of the night gave the Chiefs a baserunner in the top of the seventh but Borja Jones-Berasaluce got Copa swinging to retire the side. DiCato got the Blue Sox side in order in the bottom of the seventh when Voitik grounded out, pinch hitter Matt Bender lined out to Barbati and Curley flew to DiMare in right to seal the win.

CHIEFS CHATTER......Mike DiCato needed 95 pitches, of which 60 were strikes, to compete his 29th career win. He has made 90 mound appearnaces for the Chiefs....The Chiefs presented Chuck Andre with the game ball in a post game ceremony......Former Chief third baseman/shortstop Mike Pagliarulo addressed the team prior to the game. Paglarulo went on to play eleven major league seasons, including six as the New York Yankees starting third baseman. He enjoyed his best year for the pinstripes in 1987 when he hit 32 homers and knocked in 87 runs. Pags also had stints with the San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles and Minnesota Twins, who he won a World Series with in 1991. He had 134 career MLB homers in 1,246 games....The Chiefs stay on the road on Friday when they travel to Endicott College in Beverly, MA to meet the Reading Bulldogs at 8:00 PM....
Game Story by Bruce Tillman
Statistics from Bruce Hack & Pointstreak.com
Box Score at www.pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscore.html?gameid=359856

Malden, MA- Jared Freni went the first five innings to pick up the win when the Chiefs blanked the Somerville Royals 5-0 at Maplewood Park on Monday night.

Freni scattered just three hits and struck out ten batters in the season opener. Lefty Tim Dunphy and right-hander Mike DiCato kept the shutout intact by each throwing a shutout inning in the sixth and seventh respectively.

The Chiefs jumped on Somerville southpaw Kevin Sinatra and took a 4-0 lead in the home half of the second. Rookie catcher Jordan Pallazola got things going when he recorded his first ICL hit and went to second when the Royals' outfield lost the ball in the twilight sky. Shortstop Nate Witkowski followed with a single, scoring Pallazola, to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead. The Chiefs' used back to back triples from Mike Barbati and Danny DiMare to jump the lead to 3-0. A Tony Serino infield groundout then plated DiMare for the Chiefs fourth run of the inning.

The Chiefs the final run of the night came in the bottom of the third but they threatened for more. Peter Copa bounced a single up the middle and Mike Andre drew a walk. Pallazola followed and moved Copa and Andre up to second and third with an infield grounder to the right side. Witkowski and Barbati then worked consecutive walks that made it 5-0 and chased Sinatra from the mound in favor of Franklin Pierce righty Ryan Covelle. Covelle kept it a five run game when he got DiMare to bounce into a 6-4-3 doubleplay.

Freni was dominant in his first start of the year and struck out the side both the third and fifth innings before giving way to Dunphy and then DiCato. Dunphy, who had a strikeout of his own in the sixth, surrendered a leadoff single to Jake Cintolo before the Chiefs turned a Copa to Witkowski to Copa 3-6-3 doubleplay. DiCato also looked sharp and struck out two batters in the top of seventh.

Chiefs Notebook....Freni threw a no-hitter in the 2015 season opener against Reading at Endicott College on June 2. With tonight's win, Freni raises his career ICL record to 58-10.....Steve Gambale made his return to Chiefs for the first time since the 2003 season. The former Medford High and University of Maine standout last appeared for the club as their starting shortstop way back in 2003. He has been tuning up this spring by getting some at bats with the Senior League Somerville Senators.....The win was the 599th of Manager Chuck Andre's career.....The Chiefs added some pitching depth today when they picked up former California Angels 19th Round draftee Anthony Sullivan. Sullivan, who had a standout college career at St. John University in the Big East, last pitched for the Worcester Tornadoes in the Can-Am League.....The Chiefs are expected to send former Washington Nationals left-hander Mitchell Clegg to the bump when they host the Reading Bulldogs on Wednesday night at Maplewood at 8:15 PM...... 

Tonight's Box Score at www.intercityleaguebaseball.com
Game Story by Bruce Tillman for the Chiefs & Intercity League Baseball

Andre Chiefs

The Franchise- The Chiefs franchise carries a winning percentage of almost .700 over the 2,700 games they have played over seven decades. The franchise has won 19 League Championships and 24 Regular Season Pennants. Thirteen of those championships came when they were known as the Hosmer Chiefs and the last six were won under the name of the Andre Chiefs. In 1966, the Chiefs were named as the top semi-professional team in America. Since 1957, they have had only five managers, Ernie Ardolino (1957-1960), Lenny Dempsey (1961-1967), Joe O’Donnell (1968-1981), Bob DeFelice (1982-1984) and current manager Chuck Andre 1989-present. The franchise was named as the “Team of the Decade” for the 1960’s, 1970’s & 1990’s.

The 2017 Coaching Staff
Chuck Andre-Manager (Boston College) completed his 26th year at the helm in 2016. Andre, who has a career managerial record of 621-339-69, has piloted the club to 24 playoff appearances, nine regular season pennants, and six Intercity League Championships. He won his 600th career game in June of 2016. A former right-handed pitcher, Andre played for the Chiefs in the 1970’s & 1980’s. He has missed the ICL postseason just twice as a player or manager in 35 Intercity League seasons. He was inducted into the Medford High School Hall of Fame in 1995.

John Veneziano- Coach (Westfield State) Veneziano joined the Chiefs Staff for the 2012 season. A former Westfield State standout outfielder, Veneziano played for the Chiefs and was an outfielder on many Chiefs championship teams of the late 1970’s and 1980’s.

Anthony Durkee- Coach (Salem State). Coach Durkee returned to the Chiefs dugout in 2012 after spending a few seasons in Florida. He first came aboard with the Chiefs as a player in 2006. Former standout at Medford High, graduating in 2004.

The Chiefs organization suffered a major loss in April of 2017 with the passing of longtime Bench Coach Steve Calabresi.

The Tradition- The Chiefs baseball tradition runs deep, as sons have followed their fathers and grandfathers in wearing the uniform. Over the years, playing for the Chiefs became a sandlot baseball fantasy place where batboys became players, ball boys became major league pitchers, and many became baseball legends. As former manager Joe O’Donnell (1968-1981) said at a Chiefs reunion banquet, “once a Chief, always a Chief.” Still today, Chiefs’ players from decades gone by return to watch their team play. There always seems to be a former Chief or two in the crowd.

Alumni- Through the years, Chiefs mystique, championships, and professionalism, has remained constant. Almost 600 semi-professional ballplayers at one time or another have worn the Chiefs uniform. It is estimated that over 120 of those players at some point signed a professional baseball contract. Two former Chiefs have even appeared in the World Series, Mike Pagliarulo with the Minnesota Twins in 1991 and Kevin McGlinchy with the Atlanta Braves in 1999. Pagliarulo returned to Chiefs as a member of the 2016 Coaching Staff before being named Hitting Coach of the Miami Marlins prior to the 2017 season.

Hall of Famers - Forty-five players or coaches who have worn the Chiefs' uniform have been inducted into the ICL Hall of Fame.
Inducted in 2010: Joe O'Donnell, Fred Knox, John Hosmer, Lenny Dempsey, Bob DeFelice, Dave Clivio, Steve Freker & Ed DiGiacomo.
Inducted in 2011: Joe Armstrong, Hank Landers, Ellis "Sonny" Lane, Dave Marsters, Jim Mlezar, Dave Polcari & Eddie Rideout.
Inducted in 2012: Richie DiGiacomo, Sammy Greenwood, Bill Kelly, Mike Langston, Tom Mandile, Jackie Mountain & Mike Romano.
Inducted in 2013: Ernie Ardolino, Ari Koufos, Alex Masel, Warren Olson, Mark Santini, Bob Spinney, Roger Ueltzen & Ralph Walker.
Inducted in 2014: Mike Barnes, Shawn Brickman, Steve Daley, Bob Iandoli, Gordie Lewis, Ed McCarty & John "Trixie" Trischitta.
Inducted in 2015: Fran DeAngelis, Billy Dunn, Frankie Lemos, Vin Martelli, Terry McGann, Kevin O'Brien, Joe Santagate & Steve Silvio.

Maplewood Park at Malden Catholic Located in Malden, Massachusetts- The Chiefs play their night games on the artificial surface of Maplewood Park that is located on the campus of Malden Catholic.

Huskins Field at Tufts University Located in Medford, Massachusetts- The Chiefs play their daytime home games at beautiful Huskins Field which is located on the campus of Tufts University, considered to be one of the finest natural grass surfaces in the Northeast.

Record Book- The Chiefs have had three of the last five ICL MVP’s. Jeff Bercume (2012), Jared Freni (2013) and Johnny Welch (2014). They also have bragging rights to two of the all-time winning pitchers in ICL history, Fred Knox (1957-1973) and Dave Marsters (1989-2008), who both recorded over 110 career ICL victories. Former Cleveland Indian outfielder Justin Crisafulli is the career home run leader with 91, hit leader with 567, and RBI leader with 417. For a complete history of the Chiefs franchise visit our website at www.AndreChiefs.com and click on the “Chiefs History” tab.

The Chiefs continue to develop young talent from the college level and at the same time showcase players with professional baseball experience. For information e-mail AndreChiefs@aol.com or visit the Chiefs popular website at www.AndreChiefs.com

Malden, MA- The Chiefs will open their 2016 Intercity League regular season on Monday night when they host the Somerville Royals at Maplewood Park on the campus of Malden Catholic at 8:15 PM.

The Chiefs have a busy first week of the season. On Wednesday they will host the Reading Bulldogs at Maplewood at 8:15 PM before begining a two game road trip on Thursday when they travel to Lexington to meet the Blue Sox in a rematch of the last five championship series. They conclude the week on Friday when they head to Endicott College in Beverly to visit the Reading Bulldogs at 8:00 PM.

Click on 2016 Schedule & Results to see the Chiefs' complete schedule.

The entire 2016 Intercity League schedule is posted on the league's website www.intercityleaguebaseball.com.