Andre Chiefs

UPDATED 5:10 PM

(Melrose, MA)- The Andre Chiefs put on a hitting clinic Wednesday night on their way to a 15-3 win over Lexington at Morelli Field. The Chiefs now lead the best-o-five finals 2-0 and can close out the series tonight in game three starting at 8:00 pm.

The Chiefs scored at least a run in all six innings including a six-run fourth that put the game away. They have now scored in seven consecutive innings going back to the seventh inning of game one.

Right fielder Joe Bova (pictured) led the Chiefs’ 19-hit attack with three hits and five RBI. Bova was one of four Chiefs with three hits. Also, in the three-hit club were Teddy Dzuiba, Mitchell Schroeder, and Nate Witkowski. For Dzuiba it was his third straight three-hit game. For Schroeder and Witkowski they each scored and drove in two runs. Joining the hit parade were Hector Pellot with two hits and three runs, and Byron Woodman with two hits, two runs, and two RBI. Every Chiefs starter had at least one hit and scored a run.

Paul Frisoli was the beneficiary of the offense. The Chiefs starter went the distance and gave up five hits. He struck out 11, gave up three runs, and walked three. He had 1-2-3 innings in the second and third, setting down seven consecutive Lexington batters.

Lexington started quickly in the top of the first. Leadoff hitter Jeff Costello reached on a throwing error to begin the action. Anderson Jimenez followed with a double down the left-field line for a 1-0 Blue Sox lead. After the first out, Julian Alvarez singled up the middle driving in Jimenez with his 20th career postseason RBI.

The Blue Sox added their final run in the fourth. With the bases loaded on two fielders’ choices and a walk David VanderZouwen was walked on four pitches to bring in Julian Alvarez to make it 7-3 after 3 and a half.

The 15 runs scored equals the most scored by the Chiefs in a playoff game since 2006. The first time they scored 15 was on August 20, 2015, when they lost 16-15 in nine innings to Lexington in the championship-clinching game for the Blue Sox. Other team playoff records the Chiefs set are for hits (19), RBI (14), and total bases (24).

Bova’s five RBI came on a two-run single, a two-run double, and a solo home run. His offense came after striking out in his first two at bats. Bova’s five RBI are believed to be the third most in a playoff game for the Chiefs. He trails Ben Waldrip (7) on August 18, 2018, against Melrose and Juan Portes (6) in the nine-inning game against Lexington in 2015.

(Melrose, MA) – The Andre Chiefs rode the right arm of Silas Reed to take game one of the Intercity League finals 5-3 over Lexington Tuesday night. Game two is scheduled for tonight at Morelli Field in Melrose, the host site of the finals.

In his second start of the playoffs, Reed pitched his second complete game to improve to 2-0 in the postseason. He was coming off a 1-hit shutout of Melrose in the first game of their semifinal series. Against Lexington, he gave up four hits, and three runs, walked three, struck out nine, and threw four wild pitches. He retired 11 consecutive Blue Sox batters from the last out of the third to the first out of the seventh, including three 1-2-3 innings.

The Chiefs got on board quickly scoring in the top of the first inning. Miles Reid singled, Teddy Dzuiba doubled (first of his three hits) to put runners on second and third with one out. Hector Pellot grounded out to short, and Reid crossed the plate for the 1-0 lead.

Lexington responded in their half of the second inning. A walk, hit batter, and walk loaded the bases with one out. Charlie Walsh delivered the tying run with a line drive single to center. The Blue Sox benefitted from Reed’s wildness as two passed balls allowed Josue Feliciano and Dylan Walsh to score and give the Sox a 3-1 lead.

The Chiefs quickly regained the lead in the top half of the third. A walk to Reid and, a single by Dzuiba placed Chiefs on first and second with one out. Pellot’s double to center scored Reid. Mitchell Schroeder followed with a single to drive in Dzuiba and knot the game at 3-3. Lexington starter Michael O’Brien was replaced by Chris Wanat who induced a ground ball by Bryon Woodman. Sox third baseman Anderson Jimenez charged the ball, fielded it cleanly, and made a nice throw to get Woodman at first, but Pellot scored giving the Chiefs a 4-3 lead.

Reed took over from there. He stranded Blue Sox on first and third in the third. Then he had his run of 11 straight batters set down until the seventh when the Sox got runners to second and third with two outs before he ended the game with a strikeout.

This was the third straight playoff win over Lexington for the Chiefs. They swept Lexington in two games in the semifinals last season. This was the Chiefs’ first win over Lexington in the finals since game five on August 26, 2014. The win was the seventh consecutive playoff win for the Chiefs dating back to last year’s finals.

For the eighth time, the Chiefs and Blue Sox are meeting in the finals. This is the fifth time they are going against each other as the #1 and #2 seeds. Seeding is based on a team’s finish in the regular season. By finishing first Lexington is the number seed for the playoffs. The two teams have split the first four meetings as #1 and #2. Each team won as the #1 seed and as the #2 seed.

Lexington starter O’Brien pitched 2.1 innings in his first playoff appearance. He gave up five hits, and three runs, walked three, and struck out two. Wanat pitched 4.1 innings in relief giving up seven hits, one run, and striking out four.

Anderson Jimenez had two hits for Lexington.

Dzuiba led all batters with three hits. Reid had two hits and two runs for the Chiefs. Schroeder also had two hits and Pellot drove in two for the Chiefs.

By Bruce Hack, Lexington Team Historian

The Chiefs and the Lexington Blue Sox will meet in the 2024 ICL Championship Series starting on Tuesday.

All games in the best of five series will be played at Morelli Field in Melrose, MA.

Here is the schedule:
Game 1- Tuesday, August 13, 8:00 PM
Game 2- Wednesday, August 14, 8:00 PM
Game 3- Thursday, August 15, 8:00 PM
Game 4- Friday. August 16, 8:00 PM (if nec)
Game 5- Sunday, August 18, TBA (if nec)

(Malden, MA)- The Chiefs got three RBI’s each from Byron Woodman, Teddy Dziuba, and Anthony Perry, on the way to beating the Melrose Americans 13-7 at Maplewood on Thursday night.

The win gives the Chiefs a 3-0 semi-final series sweep and a ticket to the ICL’s Championship Series where they will have the opportunity to defend their 2023 title. They will await the winner of the Middlesex Expos-Lexington Blue Sox series which remained tied at 1-1 after last night’s rainout.

The Chiefs never looked back after Woodman gave them a quick 3-0 lead when he drilled a three run homer in the bottom of the first inning scoring Dziuba (pictured) and Mitchell Schroeder, who had both singled, ahead of him.

Aidan Barry’s RBI single, off Chiefs’ starter Evan Walsh, cut the lead to 3-1 in the top of the second.

The Chiefs put up three more runs and took a 6-1 lead in the bottom of the second on an RBI single from Tyler Ferdinand and a two RBI double from Dziuba.

Chris Klein’s RBI groundout made it a 6-2 game in the top of third.

It became an 12-2 affair when the Chiefs tallied six more times in the bottom of the third inning on singles from Woodman, Nate Witkowski, Perry (2 RBI), a Dziuba sacrifice fly, and a Schroeder double.

The Americans closed the gap to 12-7 when they put up a couple of runs in the top of the fifth and then added three more in the sixth. The Chiefs scored the game’s final run in the bottom of the sixth to account for the 13-7 final.

Klein (2 hits) led the Melrose 14 hit offense with three RBI’s and Nestor, Ian Libby, and Ted Giardina had two hits each.

Walsh went five innings to record the win. The lefty gave up nine hits and struck out three. A.J. Rourke (1 inning, 5 hits, 3 runs, 1K) and Cameron Breault, who threw a hitless seventh, also worked for the Chiefs.

Brandon McMahon went two innings and took the loss. Bailey Taylor Black, David Hunter, and Ronnie Luke also pitched for the Americans.

The Chiefs will enter the ICL finals with an overall record of 22-6 .

The Americans finish the 2024 campaign with an overall record of 16-10-1 which included an eight game winning streak to conclude the regular season.