Andre Chiefs

Medford, MA- You knew when you saw the pitching match-up at Tufts University on Monday evening that this was going to be a low scoring, pitching dominated game. 

Taking the mound for the visiting Wakefield Merchants was right-hander Jarrod Marchesi, the former Everett High and Bentley College ace, who just concluded his collegiate career with a 19-12 record. He was named all Northeast-10 as a junior when he went 8-3 for the Falcons. 

In the other corner was the Chiefs’ Mike DiCato, the former Malden Catholic all-American who led his team to a 2003 state championship and just wrapped up his four year stint at UMass-Amherst with 59 appearances, including wins over Boston College as well as Harvard in the 2008 Beanpot at Fenway Park. 

Neither Marchesi nor DiCato would disappoint on this night. 

The Chiefs eventually came away with a come from behind 3-1 win, tallying three times off Marchesi in the bottom of the sixth. The big blow came off the bat of All-East selection Jeff Bercume of Merrimack who delivered a huge two RBI double. 

After both Marchesi and DiCato retired the respective sides in order in the first inning, the Merchants took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. UMass-Lowell cleanup man Taylor Von Kriegenberg led things off with a single down the left field line. Matt Russo pushed him to second on a nice play by Chiefs second baseman Mike Baillargeon who ranged far to his left to get him by half a step. Alex LiDonni then moved Von Kriegenberg to third with another infield grounder to JP Pollard at first. Von Kriegneberg completed his tour of the bases when he scored on a DiCato wild pitch to give the Merchants the lead. 

That run looked as if it may stand up as both pitchers tossed blanks over the next four innings. Marchesi surrendered a just second inning single to Bob McCarthy and third inning hits to Pollard and torrid Brendan Pyburn (double). In innings three through six, DiCato only allowed a single to Sam Choate in the third and a walk to Columbia outfielder Jason Banos in the fifth. 

The Chiefs finally broke through against Marchesi and won the game in the bottom of the sixth. Rookie Hal Landers (Wheaton) got things going with an opposite field single to left. Pyburn followed and after two unsuccessful sacrifice bunt attempts, lined a single to right center with Landers stopping at second. Baillargeon, the second team all-American selection from Assumption, followed with a hard shot right at shortstop Josh Band (Rollins). Band knocked the liner down and recovered in time to force Pyburn at second with Landers taking third on the play. Bercume then provided the night’s biggest noise when he drilled a Marchesi pitch to deep left-center for a double, scoring both Landers and Pyburn and giving the Chiefs the lead. Bercume took third on the throw to the plate and that proved to be big when Justin Crisafulli gave DiCato an insurance run and a 3-1 lead when he plated Bercume with a sacrifice fly to left. 

DiCato got Von Kriengenberg to fly to Landers in right for the first out of the seventh. Russo was next and he reached on an infield single. DiCato then closed things out when he got LiDonni to bounce into a 4-6-3 doubleplay. 

With the complete game, eighty pitch outing, DiCato raised his season mark to 3-1 and lowered his ERA to 2.52. Marchesi (0-2), struck out four and allowed six hits. 

Chiefs Chatter….The Chiefs will send rookie right-hander Rob Machado to the mound to make his first ICL start when they travel to East Boston Stadium to meet the Bombers on Tuesday night at 8:00 PM. Machado worked three impressive innings in relief against the Americans on Friday. The former Malden Catholic star made two starts for UMass-Amherst this spring against UConn and Northeastern……Shortstop Brendan Pyburn of Merrimack has been on fire at the plate over the last week going 9 for his last 15, including a home run and three doubles. With the hot streak, the former Bishop Fenwick star has raised his average to a lofty .354….Catcher Bob “Bobo” McCarthy has moved into the ICL’s top five in the batting race, currently hitting an even .400 (16 for 40), and is currently enjoying a seven game hitting streak….Former Boston College star and Boston Red Sox farmhand Steve Langone made a nice grab of a Justin Crisafulli pop up in short right field in the second inning. The veteran second baseman is hitting .261 so far this season for the Merchants….Wakefield is off on Tuesday and hosts the Bombers at Walsh Field on Wednesday at 6:00 PM…Following Tuesday’s game at East Boston the Chiefs travel to Playstead Park in Medford on Wednesday at 6:00 PM before returning home to host the Mooney Dental Tanners on Thursday….The 2009 ICL all-star team is expected to be announced on Wednesday. The annual ICL-Boston Park League all-star game will be held this Sunday at Lexington starting at 2:00 PM…..