Andre Chiefs Earn Ten Straight Wins
The first place Andre Chiefs once again got some outstanding pitching as they swept a doubleheader from the Mooney Tanners of Woburn 6-0 and 9-0 at Malden Catholic on Monday night. With the sweep, the Chiefs extended their winning streak to ten games and raised their record to 24-5 on the season.
Game One Recap
In the opener, Jared Freni (pictured at right) continued his season long dominance, this time tossing a three hit shutout, in his complete game effort. The former UMass-Amherst right-hander struck out eight Tanners and raised his record to a perfect 10-0 on the season.
The Chiefs used singles from Mike Barbati, Paul Yanakopoulos and Tony Deshler, along with a sacrifice fly from Tony Serino, to jump on Tanners’ starter Paul Pollano to take a 3-0 lead in the second inning.
The lead went to 4-0 in the third inning on basehits from Mike Andre, Chad Conner, and Barbati.
Former California Angel Peter Copa drove in Serino with single to make it 5-0 in the fourth inning.
Serino’s fifth inning RBI single scored Nate Witkowski with the final run of the game. Barbati and Serino each had two hits to pace the Chiefs’ eleven hit offense.
Game Two Recap
Veteran righty Rob Machado made his first start of the season and allowed just one hit in five innings to pick up the win.
The effort was extremely encouraging for the former Malden Catholic and UMass-Amherst standout who has been hampered with some shoulder issues over the last few seasons. Machado has made 42 appearances for the Chiefs on the mound since 2009 and threw a no-hitter on June 30, 2011, against Reading. He also owns two post season wins for the Chiefs in his career.
The Chiefs jumped out to a 2-0 first inning lead on doubles from Serino and Copa, a Juan Portes sacrifice fly, and an Andre RBI single. The lead doubled to 4-0 in the third inning on consecutive singles by Portes, DiCato, and Andre.
It went to 7-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning on doubles from DiCato and Matt Boleski, an Andre RBI single, and a sacrifice fly by catcher Jon Byrne.
The Chiefs added the final two runs of the night in the sixth inning on singles by Yanakopoulos and Andre (pictured right), doubles from Portes and Boleski, and a sacrifice fly from DiCato.
Andre, the former Merrimack College captain and former Medford High standout, went 4- 4 in the nightcap and finished the night with five hits and three RBI.
Machado struck out four, walked two, and allowed only a fifth inning single to Joe Burnham. Matt DiCato, came out of the bullpen and allowed just a single and struck out a couple over the final two innings.
The Chiefs conclude their 2013 regular season with a home game against the Arlington Trojans at Maplewood (Malden Catholic) on Wednesday night at 8:00 PM.
Intercity League fans can follow the upcoming playoffs at www.AndreChiefs.com.
– Information and photo from Andre Chiefs