Andre Chiefs

By Bruce Tillman
Malden, MA- The Chiefs bats erupted for 14 runs and 19 hits on the way to a 14-0 win over the Melrose Americans at Maplewood on Monday night.

Johnny Welch led the hit parade by clocking his first two home runs in a Chiefs uniform. Welch’s (3-4, 4 RBI) supporting cast included Juan Portes, who had a single, a double, a third inning grand slam, and five RBI, and the torrid Mike Barbati who went three for three with three RBI’s.

While all this offense was going on, Jared Freni (4-1) went five efficient innings to get the win. The righty had help from Nate Witkowski (6th inning) and Evan Walsh (7th inning) as the three combined on the five-hit shutout.

After a scoreless first inning, the Chiefs sent ten men to the plate and scored six times in the bottom of the second. Mike Andre got things going when he led off with a ground rule double. After Mike Gedman popped up, Peter Copa singled to center sending Andre to third. Consecutive singles from Barbati, Mike Burgoyne, and Tony Serino, scored Andre and Copa to give the Chiefs a 2-0 lead. Melrose starter Mike Peters (1-1) struck out Paul Yanakopoulos with the bases loaded before Portes drilled a grand slam to center to extend the lead to 6-0.

The Chiefs lead went to 7-0 in the third when Gedman tripled off the fence in right-center and scored on Copa’s sacrifice fly to right.

Doubles by Serino and Portes gave the Chiefs an 8-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth against reliever Dan Moran. Welch made it a double digit 10-0 lead with a homer to left. A walk to Gedman and singles from Copa and Barbati increased the margin to 12-0.

The Chiefs added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth when Yanakopoulos singled ahead of Welch, who hit his second homer of the night to right-center.

Freni struck out three and allowed four hits as his infield turned doubleplays in the first, third, and fourth innings. Witkowski gave up a two out single to pinch-hitter Jake Rayner in the sixth and Walsh struck out two of the three batters he faced in the seventh.

The Chiefs will send veteran Mike DiCato to the mound when they travel to Ferullo Field in Woburn on Tuesday night at 8:00 PM to meet the Mooney Dental Tanners. On Wednesday, they return to Maplewood to host the Arlington Trojans.

Arlington, MA- Left-hander Tim Dunphy twirled a three-hitter when the Chiefs finally put away the Arlington Trojans in the late innings, 5-1 on Friday at Summer Street Field.

Dunphy allowed two singles in the third and one in the fourth inning. He had 1-2-3 innings in the first, second, fifth, sixth, and seventh, struck out two, and didn’t walk a batter.

The Chiefs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning put appeared poised to score more. Tony Serino beat out yet another infield hit and Trojans’ starter Keenan Szulik hit Paul Yanakopoulos with a pitch. Juan Portes drew a walk to load the bases but the Chiefs could only muster the one run when Johnny Welch bounced into a doubleplay and Mike Andre grounded out.

In the top of the second, Mike Gedman singled sharply to right, stole second, moved to third on a grounder, but was stranded there when Serino bounced back to Szulik.

It stayed 1-0 until the Trojans tied things up with a run in the bottom of the third.Tommy Lenane singled, was sacrificed to second, moved to third on an infield single off the glove of Portes at shortstop, and scored on Jeff Friedman’s groundout.

The Chiefs took a 3-1 lead in the top of the sixth when Welch reached on an infield single and was bunted to second by Mike Andre. Gedman then grounded out, sending Welch to third. Peter Copa was hit by a pitch and stole second. Barbati came up big when he drilled a Szulik pitch into right-center, scoring Welch and Copa.

Dunphy got more breathing room in the seventh when Yanakopoulos and Juan Portes both singled ahead of Welch’s bomb double to left. Welch was thrown out at third trying to extend the blast into a triple.

Dunphy raised his record to 3-1 on the year and needed just 67 pitches in his complete game effort.

The Chiefs are off until Monday when they host the Melrose Americans at Maplewood starting at 8:00 PM. - Bruce Tillman

Melrose, MA- Jared Freni recorded his third win of the season, when he went the distance, in a 5-0 shutout win over the Americans at Morelli Field.

Despite rapping out nine hits in the game, four of the five Chiefs’ runs were of the unearned variety off starter Chris Hayes (0-2) and reliever Patrick Duffy.

The Chiefs took a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Nate Witkowski and Peter Copa both singled with one out. Mike Barbati then dropped a bloop single into short right, scoring Witkowski. Mike DiCato drew a walk to load the bases for Matt Boleski. Boleski hit a grounder to second baseman Mac Singleton, who flipped to shortstop Vinny Scifo forcing DiCato, but Scifo’s throw to first was wild and allowed both Copa and Barbati to score.

The Americans mounted a scoring threat in the bottom of the third. Two walks by Freni preceded a 4-6 (Barbati to Johhny Welch) line-out doubleplay off the bat of Greg Wilson to end the inning.

The best Melrose scoring opportunity came in the bottom of the fifth. John Jennings walked and Bobby Rosano and Scifo singled in succession to load the bases for Wilson who lined a laser right at DiCato in left to end the inning.

The Chiefs picked up a couple of two out and unearned insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Paul Yanakopoulos singled and Welch doubled to left. Mike Andre was issued a walk to load the bases for Witkowski who hit a hard grounder past Cam O’Neil at third for an error and a 5-0 lead.

Freni (3-1), struck out seven.

The Chiefs are off Thursday and stay on the road and meet the Arlington Trojans at Summer Street Field in Arlington on Friday at 7:00 PM. -Bruce Tillman

By Bruce Tillman
Malden, MA-The Chiefs came up a bit short against the Lexington Blue Sox in a 2-0 loss on Monday night at Maplewood. To be more exact, about three feet short.

Oh, there were plenty of chances for the hosts to put this one in the “W” column before Johnny Welch’s bid for a walk off three run dinger fell the aforementioned yard shy. But missed opportunities, some bad baseball luck, along with some pretty sparkling Lexington defense, sent them to their third loss in five games so far this year at Maplewood.  

The Lexington defense, and in particular shortstop Steve Gath, stymied the Chiefs for most of the evening before going the “almost giveth away route” in the bottom of the seventh.

Along the way, the Chiefs were unable to take advantage of the superb pitching effort they got from veteran Mike DiCato.

Now to the particulars.

After a scoreless top of the first, the Blue Sox and Gath turned in one of the defensive highlights in the bottom of the inning. After two were out, Juan Portes singled and Johnny Welch was hit on the arm by a Mike Bourdon pitch. Mike Andre was next and he singled a up the middle with Gath making an outstanding play and getting enough of the ball to keep it in short center and forcing Portes to hold when rounding third. Gath’s play proved huge when Bourdon caught Peter Copa looking a strike three to end the inning.

DiCato pitched out of a little jam in the second when Justin Silvestro doubled with one out. The veteran kept it a scoreless game by getting a ground out and striking out Joe Eramo.

The Chiefs got a two out single from Nick Leva in the bottom of the second and the Sox went in order in the third. In the bottom of the third, Portes singled with one out before Gath turned a “6-unassisted-3” doubleplay off the bat of Welch.

The Blue Sox got two men on base in the top of the fourth (Dave Ahern single, JP Pollard walk) before the Chiefs turned a 6-4-3 doubleplay of their own.

The Chiefs went in order against Bourdon in the fourth and the Blue Sox broke through with a run, without getting the ball out of the infield, in the top of the fifth.

Eramo drew a one out walk and John Puttress reached on an infield single into the shortstop hole. DiCato then struck out Ross Curley before Mike Hart reached on an “excuse me” check swing dribbler between the mound and third base. Gath drew a bases loaded walk for an RBI and a 1-0 Sox lead. DiCato got Ahern to ground out to end the inning.

Major frustration for the Chiefs in the bottom of the fifth. Mike Burgoyne drew a walk and Leva bunted him to second. Tony Serino reached on his umpteenth infield single of the year to put runners on the corners. With Serino running and Burgoyne tagging up on a 2-1 pitch, Paul Yanakopoulos lined sharply to Ahern in right who fired to first for an easy doubleplay after Serino had already rounded second ending another Chiefs’ bid.

DiCato kept the Sox off the board in the top of the sixth and enter Gath once again in the bottom of the inning. After Bourdon struck out Portes, back to back singles by Welch and Andre put the Chiefs in business. Pinch-hitter Nate Witkowski then popped up for the second out before Mike Barbati drew a walk to load the bases. Burgoyne was next hit a high chopper that Gath made a sensational bare handed “grab and throw” to nail Burgoyne by a half step to keep the Chiefs off the board.

Lexington doubled their lead to 2-0 in the top of the seventh. Puttress doubled to left-center and Curley bunted him to third. Barbati made a nice play with infield drawn in to keep the runner at third and throw out Hart for the second out. Gath drew another walk before Ahern’s grounder was kicked by Portes at shortstop, allowing Puttress to score the second run.

Leva lined to right and Bourdon struck out Serino to start the bottom of the seventh. Gath almost undid all the good he had done by booting two consecutive and apparent game ending grounders form Yanakopoulos and then Portes. Welch followed and sent a 1-2 Bourdon pitch to the fence in right-center where it was caught by Ahern to end the game.

Bourdon, who allowed seven hits, won his fourth straight decision and is now 4-0. DiCato (0-1), also allowed seven hits and struck out five.

Medford, MA- Tim Dunphy picked up his second win of the season and a healthier Chiefs’ lineup backed him with 11 runs and 13 hits on the way to an 11-1 win over the Mooney Dental Tanners at Tufts University late Sunday afternoon at Tufts University.

After Dunphy retired the Tanners side in the top of the first inning, the Chiefs took a 1-0 in the bottom of the frame on Juan Portes two out single, a stolen base, and Johnny Welch’s bad hop RBI single to left-center.

Woburn tied the game up at one each in the top of the second on Mike Powers’ RBI single.

Tanners’ starter Shawn O’Donnell (0-2), kept the Chiefs off the board took in the bottom of the second and Dunphy set Woburn down in order in the top of the third. The Chiefs took the lead for good in the bottom of the inning. Portes walked and Welch singled. Mike Andre then lined a single to right scoring Portes for a 2-1 lead. Peter Copa then grounded to shortstop with Andre beating the force at second, while running on a 3-2 pitch, with Welch scoring on the play to make it a 3-1 game.

The Chiefs came up with their biggest inning so far this season in the fourth when they sent 13 men to plate, scoring eight times, on six hits, to take an 11-1 lead. RBI singles by Paul Yanakopoulos, Portes, Andre, and Nate Witkowski, mixed with a couple of walks to Chad Conner and Mike Burgoyne, as well as a sacrifice fly from Copa, accounted for the runs.

That was it in the scoring department for the day as Dunphy cruised through the fifth and sixth innings before giving way to veteran Mike DiCato who worked a scoreless seventh.

Dunphy, now 2-1, surrendered four hits in six innings and struck out three.

Yanakopoulos (3-5, 2 RBI), Andre (2-4, 2 RBI), Portes (2-4, 3 runs scored, RBI), Welch (2-4, RBI), and Copa (1-2, sacrifice fly, 2 RBI) led the Chiefs offense.

Chiefs Chatter….. The Chiefs health finally took a turn for the better on Sunday. Welch returned to the lineup after a 13 day absence. The former Independent League and St. Anselm star was struck in the face with a pitch on June 9…..Copa made his first start of the season at firstbase. The veteran all-star injured an oblique during batting practice back on June 2…..The Chiefs host the Lexington Blue Sox at Maplewood on Monday at 8:00 PM…....On Wednesday at 7:30 PM they travel to Morelli Field in Melrose for a date with the Americans….On Friday at 7:00 the Chiefs play the Trojans at Summer Street Field in Arlington at 7:00 PM….