Andre Chiefs

Wakefield, MA- The Chiefs climbed out of 2-0 hole, scoring a run in sixth and adding two more in the seventh inning, as they came from behind to beat Jarrod Marchesi and the Wakefield Merchants 3-2 at Walsh Field on Sunday.

The game featured a veteran pitching matchup between Marchesi and Chiefs’ right-hander Mike DiCato, who once again shined on the mound to pick up his third straight victory. The former Malden Catholic and UMass-Amherst standout retired the first ten Wakefield batters he faced before giving up a couple of runs (one earned) in the fourth inning.

Tony Serino led off the game with the first of his three singles on the day.  He got no further than first base when he was caught stealing after Marchesi got Tony Deshler to fly out and Juan Portes to pop up.

DiCato got the Merchants 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first inning and the Chiefs got a mini threat going in the top of the second. Peter Copa was hit by a Marchesi pitch before Nate Witkowski lined out hard to centerfield. Mike Andre then drilled a single to right center but they came up blank when Mike Barbati grounded into a 6-4-3 doubleplay.

DiCato retired the side in order again in the bottom of the second inning and a Serino two out single was all the Chiefs could generate against Marchesi in the top of the third.

It was nine up and nine down for Wakefield in the bottom of the third when DiCato struck out both Bobby Losanno and Justin Dahl and got Joe Barry to foul out to Copa.

The Chiefs threatened again in the top of the fourth inning. Marchesi struck out Portes for the first out before Copa singled to center and Witkowski singled to left. Andre followed and flew out to left-center, deep enough for Copa to tag and move to third. It stayed scoreless when Barbati grounded out to Scott Searles at shortstop to end the frame.

The Merchants drew first blood in the fourth. Nick Murray singled to right with one out and moved to second on a wild pitch. Brooks Townsend followed with another single to short right that Copa chased down. When Copa wheeled and airmailed the throw to the plate in an effort to keep Murray at third, the second baseman scampered home on the error to give Wakefield a 1-0 lead. With Townsend now on second, James Ramsey plated him with a single up the middle to make it 2-0.

Marchesi frustrated the Chiefs once more in the top of the fifth inning. Paul Yanakpoulos led things off with a long double to left-center. Nick Leva then grounded out for the first out of the inning. Ryan Gendron turned in the defensive play of the game when he bare handed a bunt attempt and threw out the fleet footed Serino by half a step at first. With Yanakopoulos now at third, the Chiefs came up empty again when Marchesi caught Deshler looking at strike three.

Barry’s single gave the Merchants a two out base runner in the bottom of the fifth before Leva threw out Taratino at first, on a chopper in front of the plate, to end the inning.

The Chiefs finally got on the board when they picked up a run in the top of the sixth. Portes hit a bomb down the left field line that got lost in the Wrigley Field type ivy and was deemed a ground rule double. Portes went to third on Copa’s grounder and scored on Witkowski’s fielder’s choice bouncer to Searles.

Townsend was hit with a pitch with one out in the bottom of the sixth. He was erased on an inning ending doubleplay when Ramsey hit a line drive seed back to DiCato who made the play and fired to Copa to easily catch Townsend off first.

Marchesi struck out Barbati leading off the seventh and the Chiefs were down to their last two outs before mounting their comeback. Yanakopoulos began the rally with a single to center. Leva fouled off three Marchesi offerings before dropping in a single to left. Enter Rob Machado who came on to pinch run for Leva. Serino followed and tied things up when he singled to right-center, scoring Yanakopoulos, with Machado sliding safely into third when the throw went to plate. Machado’s base running proved to be huge as Deshler then delivered him with a sacrifice fly to center, putting the Chiefs in front 3-2.

DiCato never left the issue in doubt in the bottom of the seventh. He struck out Gendren and got Seales and Lossano on infield grounders, the latter on a nice game ending scoop by Copa of a low Portes throw.

DiCato surrendered just four hits, three in the fourth inning, struck out four and didn’t issue a walk. Marchesi gave up ten hits and also struck out four and didn’t walk anyone.

With their fifth straight win, the first place Chiefs improved to 19-5 on the year. They are back in action on Monday night when they host the Arlington Trojans at Maplewood Park (Malden Catholic) starting at 8:00 PM.

Watertown, MA- The Chiefs rode the five hit pitching of Tim Dunphy and took advantage of some untimely Reds’ errors en route to 4-3 win at Victory Field on Wednesday night.

Paul Yanakopulos led off the Chiefs first with a single to center but was promptly erased when Mike Barbati bounced back to Reds’ starter Aric Dama who started a 1-6-3 doubleplay.

Dunphy got the Reds in order in the bottom of the first and the Chiefs got their leadoff man on again in the second inning when Mike Andre singled to left-center. Just like an inning earlier, the threat was derailed when Mike DiCato grounded into a 4-6-3 doubleplay.

The Reds put together a threat in the bottom of the second inning when Justin Forman and Will Brennan both singled but Dunphy got out of it with three ground ball outs.

The Chiefs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Rookie Corey Brammer delivered the first hit of his ICL career, a one out double to right-center, that was just out of the reach of the diving Josue Feliciano. Dama then walked Yanakopoulos before Barbati hit a grounder that forced him at second and sent Brammer to third. Dama tried to keep Barbati close at first but threw low for an error, allowing Brammer to scamper home with the first run of the game. Nate Witkowski drew a walk and Barbati stole third, but Dama escaped when he got Peter Copa to pop up.

Dunphy kept the Reds hitless in the both third and fourth inning.

Bentley righty Scot Lueders came on for Dama and blanked the Chiefs in the top of the fifth.

Justin Knight hit a one out bomb double in the bottom of fifth. Kyle LaVinge followed and he grounded to Yanakopoulos at shortstop. As Yanakopoulos was fielding the ball, Knight collided with him and was he ruled out. Dunphy then had apparently picked LaVinge off first and he broke for second. Copa’s throw hit him off the helmet and skipped into right-center allowing him to go to third. Dunphy kept the Chiefs in the lead when he got Mac Jacobson to ground to Copa to end the inning.

The Chiefs took advantage of a couple of errors and scored three unearned runs in the sixth inning to take a 4-0 lead. Barbati reached on an infield error, was sacrificed to second by Witkowski, and moved to third on a passed ball. Peter Copa then walked before Lueders struck out Andre for the second out. The Chiefs caught a break when Knight’s throw on DiCato’s grounder to second pulled Forman off the bag allowing Barbati to score. Both Copa and DiCato moved to second and third on a wild pitch and Matt Boleski made it a 4-0 game when he dropped a single into short right field.

The Reds came back and picked up three runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth. Feliciano drew a leadoff walk before Dunphy got Sean Callahan to fly to deep right for the first out. Forman put the Reds on the board when he tripled down the right field line, scoring Feliciano, to make it 4-1. With the Chiefs infield playing back, Pete John picked up an RBI when he grounded out to Yanakopoulos, scoring Forman, to cut the lead to 4-2. More trouble loomed when Dan Chaisson lined a two out double to left. The Reds then picked up an unearned run of their own when Barbati kicked Brennan’s grounder that scored Chaisson, cutting the lead to 4-3.

Lueders kept the Chiefs off the scoreboard in the top of the seventh.

Dunphy recorded his only two strikeouts of the game, as he struck out LaVinge and Jacobson in succession, to open the seventh. Barbati then made amends for his sixth inning miscue when he a made an outstanding over the shoulder grab of a Feliciano blooper in short centerfield to end the game.

Dunphy needed just 78 pitches to raise his record to 4-3 on the year. Dama (1-2) took the loss for Watertown.

With the win, the first place Chiefs go to 18-5 on the season while the third place Reds dip to 12-10-1.

Malden, MA- For the second Monday in row the Chiefs rode the pitching of the DiCato Brothers to a doubleheader sweep at Maplewood. Matt handled things in a 3-2 win in the opener and Mike took care of matters in the nightcap 2-1,as the Chiefs took both ends of the twi-nighter from the Melrose Americans. 

Game One
The Americans jumped out to a 1-0 first inning lead when Mark Addesa walked, went to second and then third on infield grounders, and scored on Mike Cunningham’s RBI single.

The Chiefs tied the game up at 1-1 in the home half of the first inning. Melrose starter Mike Massuli experienced wildness and walked Tony Serino, Paul Yanakopoulos and Juan Portes in succession. Peter Copa then bounced into a 6-4-3 doubleplay that scored Serino. Massuli got out of his rocky start cheaply when he got Nate Witkowski to ground out to Mark Fusco at third to end the inning.

Matt DiCato held the Americans scoreless in the top of the second.

The Chiefs took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the inning courtesy of a Matt Boleski double to left that scored Mike Andre (walk) and Mike Barbati (single).

Both clubs went in order in the third inning and the Americans made it a 3-2 game in the top of the fourth when Steve Chamberland singled, moved to second on a walk, to third on a an infield grounder, and scored on a passed ball.

Both Massuli and DiCato settled in nicely over the last two and a half innings as neither team could generate any scoring to account for the 3-2 final.

DiCato went the distance in 107 pitch effort to up his record to 4-0 on the season. The right-hander surrendered six hits, struck out three, and walked three batters.

Massuli gave up just three hits, struck out a couple, but walked six.

Game Two
Just as they did in opener, the Americans jumped out to 1-0 lead against Mike DiCato in the top of the first inning. Mike Addesa led things off with a single to left and stole second. Devin Perry promptly delivered Addesa with a long double down the right-field line giving Melrose a 1-0 lead.

To follow the game one script, the Chiefs came back to tie it up at 1-1 in the bottom of the inning but could have had more. Tony Serino walked and Paul Yanakopoulos dropped a nice bunt for a single. When the throw to get Yanakopoulos at first bounced a few feet away Serino kept running and went to third. Rob DiFranco then got Juan Portes swinging for the first out. Serino was picked off third when the throw to get Yanakopoulos, who was stealing second, was cut off by Perry and he fired to Mark Fusco who applied the tag. The Chiefs did salvage a run out of the inning when Peter Copa dropped a single into right-center that scored Yanakopoulos.

DiFranco and the elder DiCato took control from there as the game stayed 1-1 until the Chiefs got the game winner after two were out in the bottom of the sixth inning. Juan Portes drew a two out walk, stole second, and went to third when Gianni Esposito’s throw sailed into center-field. Copa then delivered his second RBI of the game when he drilled a DiFranco pitch to right to score Portes and putting the Chiefs in front 2-1.

DiCato struck out the first two batters of the seventh before getting pinch hitter Mike Kalfopoulos to bounce to Copa at first to end the game.

DiCato evened his season mark at 2-2 with the complete game win. The veteran scattered six hits, walked two, and struck out a season high nine batters.

DiFranco fell to 1-3 with the loss. The Bates College righty gave up just five hits (three to Copa) and also struck out five.

The now 17-5 Chiefs return to action on Wednesday night when they travel to Victory Field in Watertown to meet the Reds at 8:00 PM.

With their game one win on Monday night the defending champion Chiefs assured themselves a berth in the ICL’s post season. Along with clinching a playoff spot, the Chiefs guaranteed the franchise a winning season for the 48th time.

The Chiefs will return to the playoffs for the sixth straight year. They failed to qualify in both 2006 and 2007 after returning from a two year hiatus from ICL play. It will be 21st time in 23 seasons, since assuming the Andre name in 1989, that they will be in the playoffs.

From 1957 to 1983 the Chiefs were owned by legendary car dealer John Hosmer and participated in the Suburban Twi League and the Intercity League. The franchise was vacated in 1984 and reborn in 1989 when it was awarded to Andre Realty.

Six teams will qualify for the ICL postseason with the top two regular season finishers getting a first round bye. In the first round of the playoffs team 3 will play team 6 and team 4 will meet team 5 in a best of three series. The winners of those series will advance to the best of five semi-finals against the top two seeds. The winners will play in the best of five ICL Championship Series.

Medford, MA- The Chiefs battled back from a 2-0 fifth inning deficit, scoring single runs in the fifth and sixth, eventually taking a 3-2 extra inning win over the Lexington Blue Sox at Tufts University.

In the process, Jared Freni overcame a rough first inning and pitched his way out of a few tight spots to throw blanks the rest of the way and pick up his eighth win of the season.

The Blue Sox jumped out to a quick 2-0 first inning lead on singles from Tommy Bourdan, Ross Curley and a double from Dave Ahern.

It stayed a 2-0 game as Steve Bodnar kept the Chiefs off the board until they scratched out a run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Mike Barbati led off with a single, went to second on Paul Yanakopulos’ grounder and to third when Nick Leva bounced out to Curley at third. He scored the Chiefs’ first run when Bodnar threw a wild pitch with Tony Serino at the plate.

The Blue Sox threatened in the top of the sixth when they got leadoff singles from Curley and Steve Gath. Freni escaped to keep it a 2-1 game when he got Jeff Vigurs to fly to Tony Deshler in left and then Ahern to bounce into a 6-4-3 doubleplay.

The Chiefs tied it up in the bottom of the sixth. Deshler led off with a walk. Juan Portes was next and he hit a ball down the leftfield line that Tommy McKenna made a nice diving catch on for the first out. The Chiefs caught a break when Copa hit an infield grounder, forcing Deshler at second, before the relay to get him at first was thrown into the Chiefs dugout allowing Copa to go to second. The Chiefs took immediate advantage as Nate Witkowski then singled up the middle, scoring Copa, to tie things up at 2-2.

Neither team could score in the seventh and the game moved to extra innings.

In the Blue Sox eighth, Dan Capra led off with line shot down the right field line and Matt Boleski, who had come into the game a half inning earlier as a pinch runner for Leva, turned in the defensive gem of the day when he robbed Capra of extra bases with a diving catch. Freni then struck out Bourdon before walking Curley, who then moved into scoring position by stealing second. The scoring threat went by the board when Freni got Gath to fly to Serino in center.

The Chiefs won it in the bottom of the eighth. Bodnar hit Deshler with the first pitch of the inning and he then stole second. Portes then drilled a single to right with Deshler being held at third with nobody out. Sean Gustin came out of the Sox bullpen and Copa was issued an intentional walk to load the bases for Witkowski. The count went full before Gustin walked Witkowski, on a very close pitch, to force in Deshler with the game winning run.

Freni, allowed six hits, walked one, and struck out four while raising his record to 8-0.

Bodnar (1-2) took the loss despite surrendering just five hits and striking out two. The righty however walked four and hit two batters.

The Chiefs play the Melrose Americans at Maplewood Park (Malden Catholic) in a doubleheader on Monday with the first game scheduled for 6:30 PM.