Chiefs Win 15th ICL Game 4-0
Freni Fires Complete Game Two-Hitter
Jared Freni fired a two-hitter, striking out eight, to pitch the first place Chiefs past the Mooney 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) were rained out on Wednesday against the Medford Americans and travel to East Boston Stadium to visit the Bombers on Thursday at 8:00PM.
– Information from www.intercityleaguebaseball.com
Pictured above: Jared Freni and Matt Boleski. Courtesy photos.