Andre Chiefs

Watertown, MA- Hits and runs were at a premium as the Chiefs and Watertown Reds played a to a scoreless nine inning tie at Victory Field on Wednesday night.

Reds right-hander Brendan Casey and Chiefs lefty Dylan Ellis hooked up in an old fashioned pitcher’s duel with neither allowing a run. Casey worked the first 7.1 innings before giving way to reliever Charlie DeFrancesco. Ellis went the nine inning route for the Chiefs.Casey allowed five hits and struck out seven batters. DeFrancesco did not allow a hit and struck out a batter in his 1.2 innings. Ellis scattered four hits, walked two, hit a batter, and struck out eight.

Both teams had opportunities to score but could not break through. For the Reds, they got two men on in the second inning (Steve Busby single, Nate Izzo walk) but Ellis escaped when Jay Olson hit into a 6-4-3 doubleplay. The Reds got Izzo to third with one out in the fifth when he singled, stole second, and went to third when catcher Bob McCarthy’s throw went into centerfield. Ellis struck out both Olson and Sean Callahan to end the threat. Izzo was at the center of another Reds threat in the bottom of the eighth when he singled and was sacrificed to second by Olson. The Chiefs intentionally walked Callahan before Elllis struck out Dan Chaisson. Sam Sager then lined a bullet to Matt Boleski in left to end the inning.

The Chiefs also had some scoring opportunities. In the fourth inning, Justin Crisafulli drew a leadoff walk and Mike Andre sacrificed him to second. Tony Deshler then singled to center with Crisafulli stopping at third. Matt Boleski hit a grounder to third and the throw home was low, allowing Crisafulli to scamper back to third to load the bases. Casey then struck out Mike Barbati and McCarthy in succession to keep the game scoreless. In the fifth, Copa singled and went to second on Mike Gedman’s (pictured left) infield grounder. Bryan Evans made a nice diving catch of a Crisafulli liner to right that ended the inning and kept it at 0-0. An inning later in the sixth, pinch-hitter Justin Sencabaugh hit the best ball of the night, a long fly to left, that was grabbed on a nice running catch by Chris Burke. In the eighth, Gedman lined out to short, Crisafulli singled and Andre drew a walk. DeFrancesco got Deshler to bounce into a 6-4-3 doubleplay to end that chance. In the ninth, Sencabaugh reached on an error but DeFrancesco got McCarthy to bounce into the second consecutive inning ending doubleplay.

The Chiefs are back in action on Thursday when they host the Lexington Blue Sox at Tufts University at 6:00 PM. The Reds host the Medford Americans on Friday at Victory Field at 8:00 PM.   

Medford, MA- Bryant University right-hander Sean McNiff spun a complete game five-hit shutout as the Americans blanked the Chiefs 5-0 at Playstead Park on Sunday. The victory was the Americans fifth straight, the longest current winning streak in the ICL.

The first two and one half innings of the game were rapidly played as the Chiefs Mike DiCato and McNiff were both cruising right along. A leadoff single by Bob McCarthy, who was promptly erased on a 4-6-3 off the bat of Tim Dempsey, and a second inning walk to Justin Crisafulli were the only base runners that McNiff allowed in the first three frames.

DiCato was perfect through the first two innings before running into trouble in the bottom of the third. Joe Sheehan got things going in the Americans’ third with a leadoff single up the middle. P.J. Fulton sacrificed him to second and Mike Burgoyne followed with a double into the left field corner scoring Sheehan and giving the Americans their first run. Mark Addesa was next and he dropped a perfect bunt between first and the mound for to put runners on the corners. K.C. McCarthy then singled to right scoring Burgoyne to make it 2-0. Charlie Pagliarulo followed with a single to right-center scoring Adessa and jumping the lead to 3-0. DiCato kept the Chiefs in the ballgame and got out of further trouble when he got Mike DelPonte to ground into a 3-6-1 doubleplay.

Paul Yanakopulos led off the fourth with his first career ICL hit but he was erased when Dempsey hit into his second consecutive 4-6-3 doubleplay. Peter Copa then dropped a bloop single into rightfield but McNiff ended the inning when he got Mike Gedman to fly to Burgoyne in center.

DiCato escaped a two on, nobody out, jam in the bottom of the fourth and the Chiefs got a base runner in the top of the fifth when Mike Andre reached on an infield error.

The Americans increased their lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth. Addesa drew a leadoff walk and went to second on a fielder’s choice. Pagliarulo was intentionally walked and DelPonte grounded out to Yankakopulos at short who threw to third forcing Addesa for out number two. Mike Kalfopoulos then singled to left-center scoring Pagliarulo from second, making it a 4-0 game.

The Chiefs wasted a leadoff double from McCarthy in the sixth when McNiff got Yanakopulos on a grounder, struck out Dempsey and got Copa on a fly to right.

Tufts right-hander Pat O’Donnell replaced DiCato on the mound for the Chiefs to begin the bottom of the sixth and Sheehan greeted him \with a solo bomb to center, giving the Americans a 5-0 lead.

The Chiefs loaded the bases in the seventh but could not break into the scoring column. Gedman led off with a single, Crisafulli flew out, Andre was hit by a pitch, Anderson grounded out and Justin Sencabaugh reached on an error. McNiff ended things, and preserved his shutout, when he got McCarthy to ground to Addesa at short.

McNiff (3-3), scattered five hits, struck out three, walked one and hit a batter. DiCato (4-1) suffered his first loss of the season. The righty surrendered six hits (five in the three run third inning) struck out two and walked three in his five innings of work.

With the loss the Chiefs fall to 15-6-2 on the year while the Americans climb over the .500 mark to 11-10-1.

The Chiefs are off until Wednesday when they travel to Watertown’s Victory Field to meet the Reds in an early 6:00 PM start. The Americans are back in action on Tuesday when they head to East Boston Stadium, in search of their sixth straight win, against the Testa Corp. Bombers at 8:00 PM.

East Boston, MA- A combined 20 strikeouts, 20 hits (many of the infield variety), and 26 men left on base led to another wild and wacky night at East Boston Stadium as the Chiefs and Bombers battled to a dramatic 3-3 tie in a curfew shortened eight inning affair.

Both teams had numerous chances to both and win and lose the game. Fittingly both clubs exited the artificial surface adjacent to Logan Airport with a point apiece. The Chiefs point came with a major tip of the cap to right-fielder Matt Boleski who made a tie-saving and game ending circus catch of a Mike Addesa seed in the bottom of the eighth with men on second and third.

For the Chiefs, the story of the game through the first six innings plus was the pitching of veteran lefty Tim Dunphy who, by a wide margin, has his best effort of the season.

Both teams squandered a number of scoring chances early and the game somehow remained scoreless until the top of the sixth. Bombers starter Jeff Rowan got out of a first inning bases loaded jam, struck out the side in order in the second, stranded a man 90 feet away in the third, left another at third in the fourth after two line drive infield outs, and retired the Chiefs 1-2-3 in the fifth.

Dunphy was wiggling in and out of trouble as well. The former Brandeis and Cassell Club standout surrendered two singles in the first, got out of a bases loaded (two infield singles & throwing error) nobody out quandary in the second aided by a huge 1-2-3 doubleplay, got the side in order in third, left a man at second in the fourth, escaped a two on jam in the fifth after intentionally walking former Cassell teammate Josh Klimkiewicz, and surrendered two more infield singles in the sixth.

Both the Chiefs and Bombers scored all of their runs in a bunch of three. The Chiefs runs came in the top of the sixth. Peter Copa reached on a single and Tim Dempsey walked. Justin Crisafulli followed and flew to center for the first out. Mike Andre then beat out an infield single to load the bases. The first run of the night came when Rowan hit Matt Anderson with a pitch to force in Copa. Boleski then hit a grounder to Addesa at third and he threw home forcing Dempsey for the first out. Pinch-hitter Tony Deshler drew a full count walk bringing Andre across with the second run. Bob McCarthy then singled to center scoring Anderson. Rowan left the bases full when he struck out Mike Barbati looking to keep it a 3-0 game.

Dunphy got out of the bottom of the sixth clinging to the 3-0 lead and the Chiefs appeared poised to break it open it the top of the seventh. Rowan walked Copa and hit Dempsey with a pitch. Lammare Rey replaced Rowan and after walking Crisafulli on four pitches to load the bases, he threw three straight balls to Andre before striking out him, Anderson and Boleski on the next ten pitches, all swinging, to end the inning.

That proved to be huge as the Bombers stayed within range and tied it up it the bottom of the inning. Mark O’Flynn led off with an infield single. Pete John then lined a single to right. Klimkiewicz followed with the third straight single, this one to left-center, loading the bases. Addesa then lined a Dunphy offering to center scoring John and Klimkiewicz to make it 3-2. With runners on first and second and nobody out, Stan DeMartinis then bounced into a 3-6-3 doubleplay with Addesa taking third. Isaac Oakley came on for Dunphy to face the right handed hitting Vin Eurizone. Eurizone beat out---you guessed it---another infield single, getting to first a half step of Copa’s throw from deep shortstop  allowing Addesa to score the tying run. The Bombers had a chance to win it when Oakley walked Anthony Serino sending Eurizone to second but he struck out Chris Smart swinging to send the game to extras.

In the top of the eighth, Barbati’s two out single and a walk to Copa gave the Chiefs an opportunity to re-take the lead. Rey waggled out of this predicament when he got Dempsey to fly to center to end the inning.

The last and most dramatic escape was yet to come. Oakley struck out Derek Sturkel to start the eighth and then hit O’Flynn with a 0-2 pitch to launch the histrionics all over again. Oakley reached back and struck out John with a fastball before Klimkiewicz hit a laser double to left sending O’Flynn to third. Addesa followed and it appeared that he had delivered the game winner when he hit a shot down the rightfield line. Enter Boleski. The veteran outfielder made a spectacular diving catch to rob Adessa and save an important point for the Chiefs as the night’s curfew brought a halt to the evening’s proceedings.   

At the end of the day, the Bombers had outhit the Chiefs 13-7 and both teams left 13 men on base. Of the twenty hits in the game by both teams, eight were of the infield variety.

Medford, MA- Jared Freni fired a two-hitter, striking out eight, to pitch the Chiefs past the Mooney Dental Tanners 4-0 under ominous skies at Tufts University on Tuesday evening. The former Malden Catholic and UMass star was in control all game long utilizing primarily an overpowering fastball. He stayed ahead of Tanner hitters throughout his complete game 95 pitch outing.

The Tanners actually had their best scoring threat in the top of the first inning when Mike Baldino led off the game with a line single to center. Freni then struck out Bryan Watkins looking and got Harvard’s Joe Smith to pop up. Baldino stole second before Freni recorded his second K of the inning, setting Phil Recco down swinging on a blistering 90+ MHP fastball.

Tanner’s starter Zach Hofeld of Harvard pitched himself out of a minor jam in the bottom of the first inning. He walked Peter Copa and gave up an “excuse me” infield single to Tim Dempsey with two outs before getting Justin Crisafulli to fly out to end the inning.

Freni surrendered the last hit he would allow in the game to Andrew Bishop with two outs in the top of the second inning and Hofeld got the Chiefs in order in the bottom of the inning.

The Tanners went in order in the top of third and the Chiefs broke through, scoring a couple of times, after two were out, in the home half of the frame. Hofeld got Tony Deshler to ground out and Bob McCarthy to pop up for the first two outs of the inning. Trouble starting brewing when Mike Barbati drew a full count walk. Copa then singled and Dempsey delivered once again with a line single to right-center that scored Barbati. Crisafulli then stepped up and drilled another single to left that scored Copa and gave the Chiefs a 2-0 lead.

With the skies above Huskins Field threatening to open up at any moment, Freni and Hofeld both tossed blanks until the Chiefs doubled their lead in the bottom of the sixth courtesy of former Medford High teammates Mike Andre, Matt Anderson and Matt Boleski. Andre got things started when he lined a Hofeld offering into right-field for a single. Anderson then bunted Andre over to second and UMass-Amherst bound rookie Justin Sencabaugh from Malden Catholic pinch ran. Boleski made it a 3-0 game when he lined a double into the right-field corner scoring Sencabaugh. Deshler then beat out an infield single before McCarthy lofted a sacrifice fly to center scoring Boleski.

Freni, raised his record to 3-1 with the win. The right-hander has now struck out 38 batters in just 30 innings pitched and lowered his ERA to 0.66.

Hofeld (0-2), gave up seven hits, struck out three and walked four. The native of Winnetka, IL, who just completed his junior year for Joe Walsh’s Crimson Tide, recorded his first Ivy League victory for Harvard in a 2-1 complete game win over Cornell.

The Chiefs (15-5-1) are right back in action on Wednesday when they host the Americans at Tufts at 6:00 PM.

Both Marchesi and Ellis, who were former Northeast 10 rivals at Bentley and Merrimack respectively, both were virtually untouchable until the Chiefs put the game away with another four spot in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Tony Deshler got things going in the home half of the fifth when he doubled off third baseman’s Brooks Townsend’s glove. Landers moved then him to third with an infield grounder. McCarthy picked up a RBI fielder’s choice when he grounded to third and Townsend’s throw home was in the dirt. Copa reached on an infield error, Demspey grounded out and Crisafulli walked to load the bases for Mike Andre. Andre, another former NE-10 product from Merrimack, singled to right-center scoring McCarthy and Copa to increase the Chiefs lead to 7-1. Matt Boleski, who was hitting for Brian Macrina who had to leave the game with hamstring issues, closed the Chiefs' scoring when he delivered an opposite field double that scored Crisafulli making it an 8-1 game.

The Merchants made it 8-2 in the sixth on two infield errors. Tufts’ righty Pat O’Donnell came on to work the seventh and allowed two unearned runs that accounted for the 8-4 final.

Ellis, now 6-1, struck out seven allowed just five hits and one earned run. Marchesi (3-1) suffered his first loss of the year working five innings and giving up seven hits and striking out seven. Conar Mahon of Norwich spelled Marchesi and worked a scoreless sixth for the Merchants.

The 14-5-1 Chiefs are back in action on Tuesday when they host the Mooney Dental Tanners at Tufts University at 6:00 PM.