Andre Chiefs

Melrose, MA- The Melrose Americans took advantage of a couple of two out seventh inning errors, before Devin Perry delivered a game winning walk off single, to hand the Chiefs a 4-3 loss on Family Night at Morelli Field.

The Chiefs squandered several scoring opportunities, which included leaving ten men on base as well as an inning pickoff that at the end of the day came back to haunt them.

Peter Copa’s infield single scored Tony Deshler, who had also singled, to give the Chiefs a 1-0 first inning lead against Melrose starter Manny Powers.

The Americans came back to take a 2-1 lead off Tim Dunphy in the bottom of the second inning on singles from Mike Addesa, James McConnville, Mike Kalfopoulos and Powers.

The Chiefs tied things up in the top of the third when Deshler doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Copa’s sacrifice fly to center.

The Chiefs picked up an unearned run of their own in the top of the fourth inning to take a 3-2 lead. Matt Boleski was hit by a pitch and was sacrificed to second by Mike Barbati. Mike DiCato was next and he also dropped a bunt with Addesa bare handing the ball and throwing wide of first allowing Boleski to come around and score the go ahead run.

It stayed 3-2 until two were out in the Melrose seventh. Dunphy issued a four pitch walk to Steve Burke to start the inning. Kalfopoulos then dropped a bunt that third baseman Mike Andre charged and hosed Burke out at second for the first out. Andy Padarat came on to pinch run for Kalfopoulos and the Chiefs brought in righty Mike DiCato to face Gianni Esposito. Esposito hit a chopper in front of the mound and DiCato threw him out at first base for out number two with Padarat moving to second. Pinch hitter Orazio Azzarello then hit a routine grounder to Barbati, the Chiefs’ regular second baseman, who was filling in at shortstop. The ball skipped through Barbati into short centerfield allowing Padarat to score the tying run. When Tony Serino airmailed the throw to the plate for the second error on the play, Azzarello went to second. Perry made the Chiefs pay the price when he drilled DiCato’s first pitch into right field to give Melrose the walk off win.

DiCato (0-2) took the loss while lefty Mike Musulli (1-0), got the win in relief.

Malden, MA- Jared Freni continued his early season mastery, this time outdueling Lexington ace Matt Karis, when the first place Chiefs edged the Blue Sox 2-1 at Maplewood on Monday night.

Karis and Freni, the ICL’s two most dominating pitchers over the last few years, did not disappoint those looking for pitching classic in their first head to head matchup this season.

The Chiefs picked up their only runs of the night in the bottom of the second inning. Mike Andre got things started when he led off with a single to center. Nate Witkowski followed suit and also singled to center to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Matt Boleski was next and he dropped a bunt in front of the mound with Blue Sox first baseman Dave Ahern fielding the ball quickly and throwing to third in an attempt to force Andre. His throw was a little high and went off Ross Curley’s glove into left field allowing Andre to get up and score and sending Witkowski to third. Mike Barbati followed and delivered Witkowski with a sacrifice fly to center to make it 2-0.

It was all Freni and Karis for innings three, four and five, before the Blue Sox broke through and cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the sixth. Second baseman Justin Silvestro drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on Dan Capra’s sacrifice bunt. Freni struck out Curley for the second out before Jeff Vigurs drove in Silvestro with Lexington’s first hit of the night, a line drive single to left.

Karis got the Chiefs side in order in the bottom of the sixth. Freni sealed his sixth win of the year in the Blue Sox seventh when he struck out Ahern, got Nick Martinho to fly to Tony Serino in center, and ended things by getting Tommy Bourdon to ground out to Barbati at second.

Freni, now 6-0, struck out nine and walked two in his 98 pitch complete game effort. Karis (3-1) struck out five, issued no walks, and gave up just six hits while retiring the eleven of the last twelve Chiefs he faced over the final three innings. Both of the runs charged to Karis were unearned.

Chiefs Chatter... Monday's game was completed in a brisk one hour and twenty minutes....Karis beat the Chiefs and Mike DiCato by an identical 2-1 score in Lexington back on June 25.... How dominating have Freni and Karis been over the last few years? Well, combined the elite right-handers own a 68-12-3 career record. Freni has gone 32-6-2 and Karis 38-5-1, which includes an overall 13-2 mark the duo have posted in the postseason while each leading their respective teams to ICL championships..... Interestingly, the Chiefs have handed Karis four of his five career defeats while the Blue Sox have tagged Freni three of his six career losses....The Chiefs travel to Morelli Field on Wednesday at 7:15 PM to meet the Americans as the Town of Melrose celebrates ICL Family Night......B.T. 

Malden, MA- If you enjoy offense, Maplewood Park was not the place to be on Monday night.

On the other hand, if great defense, dominating pitching, monumental escapes, and flirting with no-hitters and perfect games is your affinity, you would have been well served.

In a gem of pitcher’s duel, where runs and hits were rarer that a dry day this summer, the Reds’ duo of Nick Ahearn and Charlie DeFrancesco and the Chiefs’ Jared Freni hooked up in a classic. Both teams combined for just four hits in the game with the Chiefs’ eventually prevailing 1-0 on Nate Witkowski’s fifth inning RBI single.

Ahearn and Freni were almost perfect through four innings. The first twelve Chiefs that came to plate were retired in succession by Ahearn. Freni was nearly as good, issuing a one out walk to Steve Morganelli in third inning, before picking him off second base.

As they went to fifth inning, the linescore read: twenty four batters up, twenty four batters down. No hits, no runs, and the one baserunner that reached was picked off for good measure.

The Chiefs finally provided some evidence that there was actually a reason to have a Louisville Slugger or two in the yard, when they picked up the lone run of the game in the bottom of the fifth. Peter Copa started the inning and singled off Will Brennan’s glove at shortstop. Mike Andre followed and moved Copa to second with a sacrifice bunt. Witkowski then provided the night’s offense when he lined a single to right-center with Copa beating Mac Jacobson’s throw to the plate.

There were a few other scoring threats in the game but neither team could capitalize.

The Reds actually got two men aboard with two outs in the sixth inning when Freni walked Justin Knight and Jacobson in succession. That threat went by the boards when a would be wild pitch didn’t get away from catcher Nick Leva far enough and he hosed Knight out trying to advance to third.

The Chiefs got a big time threat going in the bottom of the sixth inning when they loaded the bases with nobody out. A Leva single and walks to Tony Serino and Tony Deshler finally chased Ahearn from the mound in favor of DeFrancesco. The lefty pulled a Houdini like escape against the Chiefs’ 3-4-5 hitters when he got Juan Portes to ground out, Copa to pop up, and Andre to fly out to left-center, with Josue Feliciano making a nice running catch to end the inning and keep it a one run game.

Feliciano broke up Freni’s bid for a no-hitter and assured that the Reds wouldn’t go quietly in the seventh. After Kyle LaVinge grounded to Portes for the first out, Feliciano drilled a breaking ball into the right-center field gap for a long double. With the tying run in scoring position, Freni struck out the always dangerous Sean Callahan looking for the second out. Brennan, who had hit the ball well all night, was next up but Freni put a close to the evening when he got him to groundout to Mike Barbati at second base.

Ahearn (1-3), went 5 innings plus and allowed three hits and struck out two after his four perfect innings. Freni who is now 5-0, allowed just the seventh inning double, while walking three and added to his impressive strikeout total by setting down 13 Reds.

The Reds and Chiefs are both off for the Fourth of July Break. Watertown returns to action on Sunday when they host the Wakefield Merchants in a doubleheader. The first place Chiefs, who hit the break with a 10-3 mark, also return from their holiday hiatus on Sunday when they entertain the Arlington Trojans at Tufts University in Medford starting at 5:00 PM.  -B.T.

Medford, MA- Matt DiCato scattered seven hits and his teammates provided him with some stellar defense, turning three double plays, as the Chiefs prevailed in rapidly contested 3-1 win over the Mooney Dental Tanners on Sunday evening at Tufts University.

Mooney lefty Chris Pessotti deserved a better fate, allowing just three hits, in a game that took just an hour and thirty two minutes to complete. The customary summer evening strong wind was once again blowing in at hit starved Huskins Field.

The Tanners took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Catcher David Maher singled and was bunted to second by Billy Cuozzo. Evan Andreatta then drew a walk before Carlton Lentini flew to Tony Serino in centerfield for the inning’s second out. Scoop Ruxin followed and delivered Maher with a line drive RBI single to right.

The Chiefs came right back in the bottom of the second to take a 2-1 lead. Pessotti got Paul Yanakopulos to ground out for the first out before Mike Barbati singled to right-center. Pessotti got himself in trouble when he walked Nick Leva and Serino in succession to load the bases with one away. With Tony Deshler at the plate, Pessotti uncorked a wild pitch allowing Barbati to score to tie the game up at 1-1. Deshler then grounded out to second with Leva scoring on the play giving the Chiefs a 2-1 lead. Pessotti averted further damage when he gloved a Juan Portes seed back to him to end the inning.

That was it in the scoring department until the bottom of the sixth inning when the Chiefs added a big insurance run. Portes drew a walk, stole second, and was bunted to third on a rare sacrifice bunt by cleanup man Peter Copa. Nate Witkowski then hit a sacrifice fly to left allowing Portes to tag and score making it a 3-1 ballgame.

The Tanners got a two out single by Maher in the top of the seventh before DiCato closed the door by getting Cuozzo to ground out to Copa at first.

DiCato, who was the MASCAC Pitcher of the Year this past spring at Framingham State, struck out three and was aided by the Chiefs infield who turned twin killings in the first, fifth, and sixth innings.

Pessotti (1-2) was victimized by his own wildness by walking four batters, two who ended up scoring. The former Burlington standout allowed just three hits despite not striking out a batter.

Jared Freni is expected to get the start when the 9-3 first place Chiefs host the Watertown Reds at Maplewood Park, on the campus of Malden Catholic, on Monday night at 8:00 PM.   

Beverly, MA- Dante Padovanni’s RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning broke a 2-2 tie and gave Reading a 3-2 win over the undermanned Chiefs at Endicott College on Friday night.

Reading took a 1-0 lead off Chiefs’ lefty Tim Dunphy in the bottom of the first on singles by Hank Oringer and Zac Tallis.

The Chiefs came back and took a 2-1 lead against southpaw Kevin Church in the top of the second inning. Catcher Nick Leva and Mike Barbati both singled and moved up a base on Mike DiCato’s sacrifice bunt. Jon Byrne then delivered an infield single up the middle, scoring Leva, to knot the game at one. Matt DiCato, who was making his first appearance ever in the Chiefs’ outfield, then grounded out for the inning’s second out. Centerfielder Tony Serino gave the visitors the lead when he singled to right scoring Barbati.

Reading tied the game in the bottom of the fourth on a Padovanni double and a Paul Crehan RBI single.

In the Reading sixth, Steve Buitkus beat out an infield chopper over the mound and then stole second. Dunphy then got Colin Starz to ground to Paul Yanakopulos at shortstop for the first out of the inning. Ryan Wolfsberg  pinch hit for Bill Cataldo and he was intentionally walked to put runners at first and second with noboby out. Padovanni then drilled a single to left scoring Buitkus with the winning run and went to second when DiCato slipped when fielding the ball on the artificial surface in left.  

Church (2-0) got the win. He surrendered eight hits, walked five, and struck out one.Dunphy, who saw his record fall to 3-2, also allowed eight hits while striking out three and walking just one intentionally.

The Chiefs are back in action on Sunday when they host the Mooney Dental Tanners at Tufts University at 5:00 PM. On Monday they host the Watertown Reds at Maplewood at 8:00 PM before embarking on the ICL’s annual Fourth of July hiatus.