Andre Chiefs

Beverly, MA- Reading’s Tim Woods blanked the Chiefs 3-0, besting Tim Dunphy, in an all southpaw battle and a flawlessly played defensive game at Endicott College on Tuesday night.

Hitting was once again scarce on both sides of the ledger as the game featured a total of 10 hits, six by the Chiefs and four off the bats off the Bulldogs. Simply put, Reading capitalized on their limited opportunities while the Chiefs did not.

Dunphy and Woods matched blanks over the first two and one half innings before the Bulldogs broke through with a run in the bottom of the third. Ryan Wolfsberg put Reading in business when he led off the inning and rolled a triple into the right field corner. With the Chiefs’ infield drawn in, Dunphy got Billy Cataldo to ground to Juan Portes at short for the first out. Trevor Bouvier then plated the game’s first run when he hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Wolfsberg.

After the Chiefs wasted a leadoff single by Mike Burgoyne in the top of the fourth, the Bulldogs added a couple of big two out runs in the bottom of the inning. John Halsey flew out and Mike O’Leary grounded to Portes for the first two outs of the inning. Pat Lucas then drew a full count walk. Harrison Smoske made that hurt when he doubled to right-center, just out of the reach of a diving Tony Serino, to score Lucas from first. Burton Deady followed with a single to left to make it 3-0. Wolfsberg added another single before Cataldo grounded out to end the inning.

The Chiefs best scoring chance came in the top of the sixth. They had three hits in the inning sandwiched around a doubleplay. Serino led off and beat out an infield single. Burgoyne, who had two straight singles in his return to lineup, hit the ball sharply again but this time the result was a tailor made 4-6-3 doubleplay. With the bases cleared, the Chiefs continued to battle when Portes and Mike Gedman both singled. The threat went by the boards when Nate Witkowski lined out to right-center with a nice running catch made by Lucas.

Both teams went in order in their last at bat.

For Woods, it was his second straight shutout of the season. The Salem State product threw a one-hit, 10 K performance at the Arlington Trojans last Tuesday. He allowed six hits and struck out four.

Dunphy, now 1-1, took the loss despite allowing just four hits. The veteran walked just one, didn’t record a strikeout, and got a dozen ground ball outs.

The Chiefs return home on Wednesday night when they host the Trojans at Maplewood at 8:00 PM.  Righty Matt DiCato is expected to get the start for the Chiefs.

With Saturday’s game in Lexington against Wakefield already been washed out, the Chiefs don’t return to action until Monday at 8:00 PM when they host the Merchants at Maplewood……..On Tuesday, they make the long trek to Endicott College in Beverly to meet the Reading Bulldogs before returning home to Maplewood to meet the Arlington Trojans on Wednesday at 8……..Johnny Welch’s condition continues to improve after last Monday’s beaning and he is expected back into the lineup as soon…..In the injury department, Peter Copa (oblique) and Matt Nuzzo have not appeared in any of the Chiefs’ first five games…….LHP Mitchell Clegg faced just one batter (a strikeout) before suffering an oblique injury of his own. The former Washington Nationals southpaw is expected back in the next week or so…..The Chiefs started to recover a bit from the injury bug that has plagued them over the first week of the season when Paul Yanakopoulos returned to the lineup on Wednesday night. He immediately contributed with a two run single in his first at bat of the season. Yanakopoulos broke his right hand when playing for UMass-Amherst this past spring……..Rookie Adam Lucey recorded the first hit of his ICL career against Watertown on Wednesday. Lucey hit .327 for the Fisher College Falcons this past spring while appearing in 28 games…..Tony Serino (.467), Mike Barbati (.455), Mike Andre and Juan Portes, both at .308, are among the ICL leaders in the young campaign……Jared Freni has assumed his usual spot atop the ICL strikeout leaders with 23 K’s in his first 13.2 innings, two strikeouts ahead of Arlington’s Brian Chaput who has 21……Tim Dunphy is also among the league leaders in ERA having a 0.68 mark in 10.1 innings……In a league oddity, Mooney’s Chris Ruocco has four hits so far this season, all doubles……Watertown’s Sean Callahan and Will Brennan each have seven RBI’s each to lead the ICL…..Welch leads the Chiefs offense with four RBI……Bruce Tillman

Waltham, MA- Tim Dunphy picked up his first win of the season and his teammates backed him with 11 runs and 11 hits on the way to an 11-2 victory over the Watertown Reds at Bentley University.

Dunphy went 6.2 innings and was staked to five run first inning lead.

The Chiefs scored five times in the top of the first when they sent 11 men to the plate against Reds’ rookie left-hander Brendan Shea. Singles by Mike DiCato, Juan Portes and Paul Yanakopoulos (2 RBI) sandwiched around a balk, a wild pitch, and five walks, accounted for the runs.

The lead went to 8-0 in the top of the third on singles by Mike Andre, Mike Barbati, Adam Lucey, and Tony Serino. For Lucey, (Fisher College/Malden,MA) it was the first hit of his Intercity League career.

The Chiefs made it an 11-0 game in the fourth inning on singles by Barbati, Serino, DiCato and Portes.

The Reds finally broke up the shutout bid when they picked up a couple of runs in the bottom of the sixth. 

Dunphy struck out a couple and waked just one. Fellow southpaw Evan Walsh (Bentley/Arlington, MA) finished up for the Chiefs in the seventh.

The Chiefs are off until Saturday afternoon when they play the Wakefield Merchants in Lexington's annual Jerie DeAngelis Day of Baseball at Lexington High School at 1:15 PM.

By Bruce Tillman
After spending the majority of the night at the Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, there is apparently some optimistic news regarding the injury to Chiefs’ cleanup man Johnny Welch. Welch was struck in the face by a fastball during the sixth inning of Monday’s game against the Reading Bulldogs at Maplewood.

Welch reportedly underwent several clinical tests and the results of a CAT Scan and x-rays on his cheek bone were negative.

“I was with Johnny and his dad at the hospital until early this morning”, said Chiefs’ manager Chuck Andre, who was reached by cell phone shortly after 2:00 AM. “Johnny remains upbeat and was actually texting some of his teammates despite being in quite a bit of pain”, said Andre.

Welch, a Medford native who spent the last several years playing pro ball, required numerous sutures (stitches) to stop the bleeding from a number of cuts inside his mouth.

“Johnny is going to be very sore and could have a few loose teeth in the morning”, added Andre, “but he’s a gamer and it was a very scary moment but the early prognosis seems positive so we are hopeful that he will be okay.”

Welch was realeased from the hospital early Tuesday and his status is day to day.

By Bruce Tillman
Malden, MA- Chiefs’ ace Jared Freni was his usual outstanding self on Monday night.

Reading righty Brian O’Neil was just a little better.

Other than a Juan Portes solo shot in the sixth inning, O’Neil was nearly untouchable. The former Bryant University standout allowed just four hits and struck out 13 when the Bulldogs broke into the win column with 2-1 win at Maplewood.

More bad news in the growing injury department for the Chiefs. It was a scary moment in the bottom of the sixth inning when Johnny Welch was hit with an O’Neil pitch in the mouth and had to leave the game.

The Bulldogs scored both of their runs in the top of the second inning. Mike Taylor led off with a single to right. Freni then struck out the next two batters in succession before Aaron Santos reached on a high hopper infield single behind the mound. Bill Cataldo drew a walk and Andrew Haser drilled a single to center scoring Taylor and Santos.

O’Neil cruised into the fourth before Mike Andre and Mike Barbati both singled with two outs. O’Neil ended the threat when he struck out Matt Boleski to end the inning.

The Chiefs got on the board when Juan Portes hit his first homer of the year to center leading off the sixth.  Welch was then hit with O’Neil’s next pitch and Adam Lucey came on to pinch run. O’Neil got Mike Gedman swinging and Andre to hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. 

Freni retired the Reading side in order in the top of the seventh. O’Neil did the same in the bottom of the inning when he struck out Barbati and pinch-hitter Cecillio Guante before getting Nick Leva to bounce out to end the game.

O’Neil struck out 13 batters and walked just one while raising his record to 1-1.

Freni, also 1-1, gave up just five hits and struck out eleven.

Welch was able to leave under his own power and was taken to the hospital where he was undergoing tests and x-rays.