Andre Chiefs

By Bruce Tillman
Watertown, MA- The Watertown Reds rallied back from a 7-4 seventh inning deficit to beat the Chiefs 8-7 in walk off style at Victory Field. The Reds scored four times against three Chiefs’ pitchers, who didn’t record an out in the inning. In the process, they put an end to the Chiefs’ seven game winning streak.

It was a game of turnarounds, as the Chiefs rallied back from a 3-0 first inning hole.

The Reds went right to work against Chiefs’ starter Mike DiCato. The hosts scored three times in the bottom of the first inning on a walk, a hit batsman, a single from Steve Morganelli, a double by Justin Forman, and a sacrifice fly from Steve Tramantozzi.

The Chiefs scored five times in the top of the fifth inning to grab a 5-3 lead. Johnny Welch singled, Peter Copa drew a walk, and Mike Andre moved them both up with a sacrifice bunt. Nate Witkowski then grounded to third and Dan Chaisson threw low to the plate and to the backstop, allowing both Welch and Copa to score. Mike Barbati and Mike Burgoyne drew consecutive walks and Tony Serino reached on an infield error that scored Witkowski to tie the game at 3-3. After Paul Yanakopoulos popped up, Juan Portes gave the Chiefs a 5-3 lead with a single to center and went to second on the throw home. Aric Dama then intentionally walked Welch before he got Copa to ground out sharply to end the inning.

The Reds got a run back in the bottom of the sixth inning. Forman doubled to left and Morganelli drove him home with a single. Morganelli then was thrown out at second on a disputed play when the Chiefs cut the relay home. DiCato got out of the inning with a fly out an infield grounder.

The Chiefs extended their lead to 7-4 in the top of the seventh. Andre led off with a single to center and Dan Bonito came on to pinch run. Witkowski then dropped a bunt, but Reds’ reliever Nick Ahearn threw wide of first, sending Bonito to third. Barbati then flew out to right, with Bonito holding at third. Mike Burgoyne followed and delivered a RBI grounder to second that scored Bonito to make it a 6-4 game. Serino then singled to left-center, scoring Witkowski upping the lead to 7-4.

DiCato walked Kyle LaVigne to start the seventh and then hit Kevin Kelly with a pitch. Left-hander Evan Walsh came out of the bullpen to face the left-handed hitting Mike Samko. Samko delivered a single to right, scoring LaVigne, and sending Kelly to third. Matt DiCato then came on to face Josue Feliciano who placed a perfect bunt single down the first base line to load the bases. Sean Callahan-Montague was next and he singled to right-center, scoring Kelly, to close the lead to 7-6. DiCato then walked Forman, forcing in Samko to tie the game. With the Chiefs infield now drawn in, Morganelli delivered the game winner with a ground ball single to right.

By Bruce Tillman
Malden, MA- Mike Gedman drilled a three-run homer, and Juan Portes added a solo blast ,when the Chiefs came up with a four run sixth inning to rally past the Mooney Dental Tanners 5-3 on Monday night at Maplewood. For the Chiefs, it was their seventh straight win and the ninth in ten games.

Mother Nature cooperated and provided just enough of a window between torrential downpours for the Tanners and Chiefs to get the game in on the artificial surface. Heavy showers hit the area just prior to game time and again shortly after the last pitch was thrown.

Left-handers Dave Maestri and Tim Dunphy both threw shutout ball over the first three innings.

Dunphy continued the scoreless streak into the top of the fourth and the Chiefs finally broke through and took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the inning.  Peter Copa drove home Johnny Welch, who had doubled, with a line single to left.

The Tanners came right back and took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth. Bobby Campbell led off with a single up the middle and Mike Fernandes bunted him to second. Ryson Porter then singled to right putting runners on the corners with one out. Corey O’Neil then hit a grounder that Welch had to range to his left on, looked home, but then fired wide of Copa at first, allowing Campbell to score the tying run. When Chris Brown lifted a sacrifice fly to right, the Tanners had a 2-1 lead.

The Chiefs threatened to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth. Barbati dropped a one out bunt single and Nate Witkowski flew to deep right-center for the second out. Mike Burgoyne then singled, sending Barbati to second. Tanners’ shortstop Chris Ruocco then turned in the defensive play of the night when he made a diving stop of Paul Yanakopoulos’ grounder and tossed to second in time to force Burgoyne.

In the top of the sixth, Jake Cintolo singled with one out but was gunned out by Yanakopoulos trying to steal second.

Portes led off the bottom of the sixth and hit his third homer of the season to centerfield tying the game up at 2-2. Welch followed with a single. Paul Pollano came out of the bullpen and pinch-hitter Tony Serino’s attempted sacrifice bunt was too strong, forcing Welch at second. With Copa at the plate, Pollano uncorked a wild pitch that sent Serino to second. With first base open, the Tanners chose to intentionally walk Copa. Gedman was next and he drilled a Pollano pitch deep over the right-centerfield wall giving the Chiefs a 5-2 lead.

The Tanners didn’t go quietly in the top of the seventh. Will rain falling again, Campbell lined a double into the left-centerfield gap and scored on Alec Leblanc’s single to account for the 5-3 final.

With the win, Dunphy raised his record to 5-1 on the year. The veteran scattered ten hits, struck out one, and didn’t walk a batter. He needed 99 pitches in the complete game effort.

Maestri took the loss and fell to 0-4.

The Chiefs are off on Tuesday and hit the road on Wednesday to meet the Watertown Reds at Victory Field in a 7:45 PM start.

By Bruce Tillman
Wakefield, MA- The Chiefs stepped off the second half of their regular season in a familiar way, riding the right arm of ace Jared Freni to a 5-0 shutout win over the Wakefield Merchants.

It was the second game of a three team doubleheader at Walsh on Sunday afternoon. The Reading Bulldogs beat the Merchants 5-3 in extra innings in the opener.

After a scoreless first, the Chiefs went another increasing familiar route to score their first run in the top of the second. Johnny Welch doubled into the left-field corner and Mike Andre promptly knocked him home with a line drive single to center.

The Chiefs lead went to 3-0 in the top of the third against Wakefield starter Christian Ferlan. Nick Leva reached on an error and Mike Burgoyne drew a walk. Paul Yanakopoulos then singled to right-center, scoring Leva, for a 2-0 lead. Nate Witkowski followed with a double, scoring Burgoyne, to up the margin to 3-0. Welch reached on an error to load the bases but Ferlan kept it a three run game when he got Andre, Peter Copa, and Mike Barbati to all ground out.

The Merchants biggest scoring threat came in the bottom of the third. Lou Tarantino and Bobby Loscano both singled with one out. Freni kept the shutout intact when he got Scott Searles to line into a Welch to Copa doubleplay.

The Chiefs took advantage of a couple of defensive lapses to score two more runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a 5-0 lead. Witkowski worked a walk and Welch reached on an error. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch. With the infield drawn in, Andre grounded out to second for the first out. Before Copa drew a walk, Ferlan threw a wild pitch allowing Witkowski to score the fourth run. Ferlan then struck out Barbati for the second out. With Copa running on a 2-2 pitch, Merchant catcher Joe Barry bounced an errant throw into centerfield, allowing Welch to score the unearned run from third. Ferlan struck out Mike DiCato on the next pitch to end the inning.

Freni (5-1), allowed five hits and struck out ten. Ferlan (2-2) also allowed just five hits, struck out five, but was victimized by four Wakefield errors.

The 12-4 Chiefs return home to Maplewood (Malden Catholic) on Monday night to host the Mooney Dental Tanners at 8:00 PM.

Malden, MA- Mike Andre, Johnny Welch, and Mike DiCato, went a combined eight for nine at the plate, which included five doubles and eight RBI, to lead the Chiefs to an 11-2 win over the Arlington Trojans at Maplewood on Wednesday night. For the Chiefs, it was their fifth straight win and their seventh in the last eight games. Over that eight game span the Chiefs have outscored their opponents 66-7.

Left-hander Tim Dunphy (4-1) worked six innings to pick up his fourth win of the season.

The Chiefs runs came in bunches in this one. They scored a half dozen times in the bottom of the first and then added a five-spot in the third.

In the six run first inning, Mike Burgoyne drew a walk and scored when Paul Yanakopoulos drilled a triple to right-center. Juan Portes made it 2-0 when he hit a wind-blown RBI single to right. Portes stole second and scored when Welch continued his week-long assault on ICL pitching, drilling a gap shot RBI double. Andre made it 4-zip when he lined a single to left-center scoring Welch. A Nate Witkowski single and a DiCato two RBI double to deep left-center jumped the lead to 6-0.

It went to 11-0 in the third inning against starter Marcus Way. Witkowski got things going with a single and Mike Barbati drew a walk. DiCato then delivered Witkowski with his second double of the night. Burgoyne followed and lined a sacrifice fly to left easily scoring Barbati. Yanakopoulos singled, Welch doubled scoring DiCato, and Andre brought home the Chiefs’ final two runs of the night with a long double into the right-centerfield gap.

Evan Walsh worked a scoreless seventh for the Chiefs, striking out two of the three batters he faced.

The ICL begins its annual Fourth of July break on Thursday. The now 11-4 Chiefs are back in action on Sunday at 5:00 PM when they travel to Wakefield to meet the Merchants at Walsh Field.
-Bruce Tillman

Woburn, MA- Mike DiCato threw a complete game four-hitter and Johnny Welch hit his third homer in two games when the Chiefs knocked off the Mooney Dental Tanners 10-0 on Tuesday night in Woburn.

The Chiefs struck for four runs in the top of the third inning. Adam Lucey singled up the middle and Mike Burgoyne drew a walk. Paul Yanakopoulos dropped a sacrifice bunt and reached when starter Matt Riley threw wide of first. Mike Gedman then lined to right, with Lucey scoring the first run on the sacrifice fly. Riley then balked home Burgoyne to make it 2-0. Welch quickly doubled the lead to 4-0 when he hit a moon shot homer to left.

The lead went to 5-0 in the top of the fourth when Mike Barbati, who had walked, eventually scored on a wild pitch.

It went to 8-0 in the sixth inning when Burgoyne singled, Yanakopoulos reached on an error, Welch doubled, Mike Andre singled, and Peter Copa had an RBI groundout.

Two walks and rookie Tyler Brinkley’s first ICL hit brought the lead to 10-0 in the seventh.

DiCato (1-1) struck out six and didn’t walk a batter.

The Chiefs host the Arlington Trojans on Wednesday at Maplewood at 8:00 PM. Lefty Tim Dunphy (3-1) is expected to get the start for the Chiefs.