Andre Chiefs

Medford, MA- When a team makes four errors, issues seven free passes, uncorks two wild pitches, hits a couple of batters and leaves ten men on base, the results are typically not good. 

That formula held true to form for the reeling Chiefs on Friday night at Tufts University as they dropped their third straight game of the week, this time to the Medford Americans 11-5. 

The Chiefs out hit the Americans 11-6, fell behind 2-0, took a 4-2 lead before surrendering the lead for good when the Americans tallied four times in the fourth inning. 

Americans starter Kevin Hayes and his Chiefs counterpart Ryan McNeill both threw two scoreless innings before the Americans picked up a couple of runs in the top of the third. Two walks and a fielders choice set the stage for Luke Begley who drilled a hard one hop single just past shortstop Brendan Pyburn to give Medford a 2-0 lead. 

The Chiefs answered quickly in their half of the third inning to take a 4-2 lead. Dario Pizzano and Bob McCarthy both drew walks. Hayes was in obvious discomfort and had to leave the game with a blister. Pyburn greeted reliever Zach Bunszell rudely with a three run homer to right giving the Chiefs the lead at 3-2. After Justin Crisafulli flew to left, Mike Andre doubled into the right field corner. Peter Copa then singled to left center moving Andre to third. Americans manager Kevin Burgoyne then summoned veteran southpaw Orazio Azzarello from the bullpen to face lefty Hal Landers. Azzarello walked Landers and JP Pollard followed with a sacrifice fly to center that gave the Chiefs a two run lead. Azzarello then got Mike Barbati to ground to Begley at second leaving two runners stranded in scoring position. 

McNeill quickly surrendered the lead in the top of the fourth. He gave up a one out single to Dave Ahern then experienced control problems walking the next three batters in succession that forced in a run and cut the Chiefs lead to 4-3. Mike Ferriero was next and he drilled a long gap shot double to left center that cleared the bases to put the Americans back in front at 6-4. Rob Machado replaced McNeill on the mound and averted further trouble when he got Steve Tahmoush to ground out. 

Azzarello got the Chiefs in order in the bottom of the fourth and Machado held Medford scoreless in the fifth.  

The Chiefs picked up a run in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead tom 6-5 but let a golden opportunity go by the boards. Crisafulli singled to left and Andre followed with a line single to right. Lee Jamison came on to face Copa who reached on an infield single into the shortstop hole that loaded the bases with nobody out. Landers then grounded sharply to first with Crisafulli scoring and leaving runners at second and third. Pollard then hit a hard liner to Ferriero who was drawn in at shortstop. Ferriero knocked the ball down and threw Pollard out at first with the runners unable to advance. Lefty Matt Boleski then pinch hit for Barbati and Jamison got him swinging leaving two more men in scoring position.  

Machado was victimized by an unearned run in the sixth that jumped the Americans lead to 7-5 on a sacrifice fly from KC McCarthy.  

The Chiefs once again threatened in the bottom of the sixth but came up empty. McCarthy and Pyburn hit back to back one out singles and Andre drew a ten pitch walk to load the bases. Jamison then slammed the door on the Chiefs when he got Copa to pop up. 

The Americans reached Chris Foundas for four more runs in the top of seventh to put the game away with the big pop coming off the bat of McCarthy, who delivered a bases loaded triple.   

Boston, MA- The annual Boston Park League vs. Intercity League All Star game will be held at Lexington High School on Sunday, July 19 at 2:00 PM.

For the last three years the game has been named in honor of umpire Joe Driscoll who passed away in 2007.

Rick DeAngelis, manager of the 2008 champions Blue Sox, will pilot the ICL squad. The ICL's all-star team is expected to be announced next Tuesday.

Boston, MA- The annual Boston Park League vs. Intercity League All Star game will be held at Lexington High School on Sunday, July 19 at 2:00 PM.

For the last three years the game has been named in honor of umpire Joe Driscoll who passed away in 2007.

Rick DeAngelis, manager of the 2008 champions Blue Sox, will pilot the ICL squad.

The ICL's all-star team is expected to be announced next Tuesday.

Lexington, MA- Mike DiCato was untouchable for the last four innings.

 

The bad news is that Matt Karis (4-0) was once again flawless for a full seven.

 

Such was the story in a first place showdown in Lexington on Monday night when Karis reached some rarified air and tossed his third consecutive ICL shutout on the way to chalking up his fourth straight decision in the Blue Sox 3-0 win over the Chiefs.

 

The right-hander out of Gettysburg College previously blanked the Medford Americans on June 16^th and 26^th and beat the Testa Corp. Bombers back on June 2^nd. So far this season the Southboro native has only allowed a stingy nine hits in 27.0 innings of work.

 

The Chiefs Mike DiCato certainly pitched well enough to win, allowing six hits and tossing zeros over the last four innings.

 

If you got there a bit late you missed all of the scoring in this one. In top of the first inning Karis got Brendan Pyburn swinging and catcher Bob McCarthy to pop up. Jeff Bercume followed with a line single to right but Karis picked him off first to end the inning.

 

The defending champs went right to work in the bottom of the inning scoring the only runs they would need. DiCato got Jack Laurendeau (Holy Cross) to ground to Mike Baillargeon at second. Former Boston College standout Pete Frates got things going for the Sox when he doubled into the right field corner. Danny Graham then singled to center scoring Frates and when Bercume’s throw to the plate went to backstop, Graham scampered all the way to third on the error. Steve Gath followed with a ground out to Pyburn at shortstop with Graham scoring on the play. DiCato got Sean McElroy to ground to Baillargeon to end the inning.

 

The Chiefs went quietly in the second and the Sox added their third and final run of the night in the bottom of the frame. Dan Haugh led things off with a tough hop single to center but DiCato picked him off first. Tom Haugh then worked a full count walk and Eric Polling (Greenville College/Pickneyville, IL) hit a soft grounder to Baillargeon pushing Haugh to second. Former UMass-Lowell star Anthony Santos then drilled a RBI single to left making it 3-0.

 

The Chiefs made a little noise in the third but could not score. Peter Copa reached on a throwing error and went to third on Hal Landers single to right. Pyburn then bounced into a 1-6-3 double play with Copa remaining at third. He was stranded there when McCarthy grounded out to Santos at second base.

 

DiCato reteird the Sox side in order in the third and Karis returned the favor in the top of the fourth. Gath walked to start the Lexington fourth but DiCato struck out McElroy and Dan Haugh in succession. Tom Haugh then lined a single to center and Bercume fired a strike to third baseman Mike Andre gunning down Gath trying to go to third to end the inning.

 

Veteran Brian Macrina reached on an error to start the fifth and Karis got Andre to fly out for the inning’s first out. Peter Copa grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

 

A two out Laurendeau single was all the Sox could muster against DiCato in the bottom of the fifth.

 

In the Chiefs sixth, McCarthy hit a two out ground ball just inside the third base bag (that was officially scored as a two base error) but Karis got Bercume to bounce out to end the inning.

 

Graham was hit by a DiCato pitch to begin the Sox sixth and was promptly thrown out by McCarthy trying to steal second. Gath grounded to Pyburn and DiCato struck out pinch hitter Matt McEvoy swinging to close the inning.

 

The Chiefs looked poised to finally break through against Karis in their final at bat. After Justin Crisafulli grounded out sharply to third both Baillargeon and Macrina drew walks. Andre then drilled the Chiefs hardest hit ball of the night to right-center field but the frustration continued when Frates had him played perfectly and gloved it for the second out. Karis completed his shutout trifecta when he got Copa to ground out to put an end to the night’s proceedings.

 

Karis struck out four and issued three walks while lowering his ERA to 1.30. DiCato, now 2-1, surrendered just the six hits while striking out five and walking a couple.

 

Dan Lozeau will get the start for the Chiefs on Tuesday when they travel to East Boston Stadium at 8:00 PM to face the Bombers.

  

Woburn, MA- Ryan McNeill went the first five innings to pick up the win and Rob Machado worked a perfect sixth and seventh as the two combined on a two-hit shutout of the Mooney Dental Tanners 16-0 at Ferullo Field in Woburn on Tuesday evening. 

McNeill, who claimed all Northeast-10 honors at Merrimack this spring, picked up his first ICL win in a Chiefs uniform yielding just a couple of singles while striking out six. Machado, the former Malden Catholic standout and current UMass-Amherst right-hander, retired all six batters he faced including one strikeout in his ICL debut. 

Catcher Bob McCarthy led the Chiefs 14 hit attack collecting four singles while Peter Copa and rookie Dario Pizzano chalked up three RBI apiece. 

The Chiefs scored early and often in this one, opening up a 9-0 lead after two innings. In the first inning, the Chiefs sent ten men to the plate and scored five times. Brendan Pyburn got things underway when he drew a walk from Tanners starter and loser Mike Nardelli. Pyburn promptly stole second and came around to score on McCarthy’s first single of the game. Jeff Bercume drew another walk but Nardelli struck out Hal Landers for the first out. Veteran Brian Macrina then gave the Chiefs a 2-0 lead when he delivered a RBI single that scored McCarthy. Mike Andre drew the inning’s third walk and Copa followed with a RBI fielder’s choice that plated Bercume. Pizzano made it 5-0 with a gap shot double to left-center scoring Macrina and Copa. 

It went to 9-0 in the second with the Chiefs scoring four times after two were out. Landers and Macrina both worked two out walks and Nardelli was lifted in favor of Joe Harvey. Andre greeted Harvey with a line single to right center that scored Landers. Copa followed with another single scoring Macrina and when Pizzano reached on an infield error scoring Andre and Copa, the Chiefs were out to a 9-0 lead. 

A Macrina RBI single in the third and a Copa double and sacrifice fly from Mike Barbati ran the lead to a dozen after four innings.  The Chiefs added four more to make it 15-0 in the fifth on singles by McCarthy and Pizzano sandwiched around two infield errors and two hit batsmen. The sixteenth and final run of the night came in the sixth on singles from Pyburn, Bercume and Matt Boleski.