Andre Chiefs

East Boston, MA- The Chiefs exploded for nine sixth inning runs, keyed by Jeff Bercume’s second grand slam and third home run in three days, to blow open a close 2-1 game on the way to an 11-1 win over the Testa Corp. Bombers on Tuesday night at East Boston Stadium. 

Ryan McNeill (2-1-1) was impressive once again in picking up his second win of the summer. The Lynnfield native went the six inning distance, scattered five hits and struck out four. The game was called in the bottom of the seventh due to a light failure in East Boston. 

McNeill and Bombers starter Jim Simon (Curry/Deerfield Beach, FL) both threw blanks through the first two innings before the Chiefs broke the scoring ice in the top of the third. Torrid Hal Landers (8 for his last 15), started things off with a bullet single to right. Brendan Pyburn then drew a walk and Bercume picked up his first RBI of the night with a single to center that scored Landers. Justin Crisafulli followed with a RBI single to right that scored Pyburn to make it 2-0. Simon, who was 6-1 this spring for Curry College, escaped the inning without further damage when he got Peter Copa to pop up and Brian Macrina to hit into a 6-4-3 doubleplay. 

It stayed a 2-0 game until the bottom of the fifth when the Bombers finally broke through against McNeill to cut the lead to 2-1. Consecutive singles from Vin Eruzione and Mike Navarro put the Bombers in business with nobody out. Kevin O’Leary then moved the runners up to second and third with a sacrifice bunt. ICL all-star Jay DeFillipo then got the Bombers on the board with a single to left that scored Eruzione with Navarro stopping at third. McNeill then got the biggest out of the game when he struck out Joe Papa swinging. 2008 ICL MVP Josh Klimkiewicz (Harvard/El Paso) followed and McNeill got him to ground sharply to Pyburn at short to preserve the Chiefs one run lead. 

The Chiefs sent 14 men to the plate in the sixth inning, scored nine times and banged out a half dozen hits. Copa got things started when he drew a full count walk. Macrina and Copa then executed a perfect hit and run with Macrina singling to right and Copa going to third. Simon then got a big out when he got Mike Andre to fly to short left for the first out. Trinity righty Eddie Donovan replaced Simon on the hill and he walked Dario Pizzazno to load the bases for catcher Bob McCarthy. McCarthy put up the best at bat of night, going ten pitches deep, before hitting a chopper at Bombers third baseman Mike Adessa. Adessa came up with the ball but his throw home was low as Copa slid across with the Chiefs third run. Landers then ripped a single that scored Macrina to make it 4-1. Pyburn worked a bases loaded walk to run the lead to 5-1 and setting the stage for Bercume. The Chiefs centerfielder then drilled a bomb to right for a grand slam that put the Chiefs comfortably in front at 9-1. After Crisafulli lined out, Copa reached on an infield single and Macrina chalked up his second single of the inning. Andre then drove them both home with a long double to right-center upping the margin to 11-1.

McNeill held the Bombers scoreless in the top of the sixth and the Chiefs went 1-2-3 in the seventh.  

Bill Cataldo, who came on to play second base, threw pinch-hitter Steve Buitkus out on ground ball for the first out of the Bombers seventh, before there was a sudden light failure at the Stadium that sent the field into darkness. As a result, the game went into the books as a six inning affair, with all statistics from the seventh inning (neither team recorded a hit or a run) being wiped out. 

McNeill struck out four and walked a couple while lowering his ERA to 2.19.

Chiefs Chatter…..Bercume, with his five RBI, has taken over the ICL lead in that category with 21. He had a grand slam and a two-run homer along with eight RBI in Sunday’s doubleheader at Woburn and has raised his average to .382 to move into third place in the ICL’s batting race….Landers has moved his average to .367 and currently sits in fifth place…. The Chiefs begin a two game series with the Medford Americans at Tufts University on Wednesday at 6:00 PM.