Undefeated Chiefs Win 8 in a Row

– Bruce Tillman

The Andre Chiefs have extended their season opening winning streak to eight games and sit in first place in the Intercity League.

The latest win came when Chiefs rode the pitching of ace righty Jared Freni to a 4-1 win over the Melrose Americans at Morelli Field in Melrose. Former Chicago Cubs farmhand Billy Mottram (pictured) provided the key hit in the victory.

Last Wednesday, Medford’s own Johnny Welch provided all of the offense with a fourth inning solo homer to back the shutout pitching of former Brandeis southpaw Tim Dunphy in a 1-0 win over the Reading Bulldogs.

The Chiefs won a two game series earlier in the week against the Arlington Trojans. Veteran Mike DiCato went the distance in a 9-2 win. The Chiefs got RBI’s from Mike Andre (Medford, MA/Merrimack), Tony Serino (Saugus,MA/UMass), Mike Gedman (Framingham, MA/UMass), and Peter Copa (Malden, MA/California Angels).

A day earlier the Chiefs shutout the Trojans 6-0 behind another Freni complete game. Gedman and first year Chief Ryan Sonberg (Windsor, CT/Bates), had two RBI’s each. Gedman played for the Chiefs in 2010 after graduating from UMass and spent three seasons as a pro before returning to the team in 2014. Sonberg was a two-time all NESCAC shortstop while at Bates and played professionally in New Mexico before hooking on with the Chiefs this spring.

The Chiefs will host the Lexington Blue Sox on Monday at 8:15 PM at Maplewood Park on the campus of Malden Catholic. On Tuesday, they travel to Trum Field to meet the Somerville Thunder at 8:00 PM.