Chiefs Head to Intercity League Finals

One More Time!

For the fifth consecutive season, and the sixth time in the last seven years, the Andre Chiefs and the Lexington Blue Sox will once again meet to decide the Intercity League Championship. That best of five series will begin at Morelli Field in Melrose on Tuesday night at 8:00 PM.

Jared Freni made certain that the Chiefs would get the opportunity to defend their 2014 title with a lights out effort against the Watertown Reds at Victory Field on Monday night.

In a winner advance, loser go home, scenario, Freni put his mates on his back and really never let the issue be out of his control. The end result was a 3-0 Chiefs win in which Freni struck out a dozen batters and allowed just two hits.

Runs didn’t come easy on this night as the Reds countered with Juan Guzman, who earlier this summer was pitching in the Baltimore Orioles organization.

The Chiefs got what proved to be the only run that Freni would need in the top of the first inning. Billy Mottram hit a long gap shot triple to right-center with one out. Guzman walked Juan Portes, then hit Johnny Welch, to load the bases. Mike Gedman then gave the Chiefs the lead with a long sacrifice fly to left, scoring Mottram. Guzamn escaped further scoring when he got Peter Copa on a soft liner to short right.

Freni came out strong and got the Reds’ side in order, including two strikeouts, in the bottom of the first.

Mike Andre drew a leadoff walk for the Chiefs in the second but it stayed a 1-0 game when Guzman got Mike Barbati on a pop up, struck out Nick Leva swinging, and Tony Serino looking at a nasty breaking ball.

Pete Burgio got the Reds’ first hit of the night with one out in the second inning but Freni struck out Sean Callahan-Montague, and then set down Will Breenan on an infield grounder to retire the side.

Both teams went in order in the third before each threatened in the fourth.

Peter Copa’s one out double in the top of the fourth gave the Chiefs’ a runner in scoring position. Brennan then made a nice play on an Andre grounder up the middle and Guzman got Barbati on a fly to right to end the inning.

Watertown had their best chance to break the shutout in the bottom of the inning. After Freni struck out Steve Rogers, Dan Chaisson lined a double down the right-field line. Matt Bishop then drew a walk before Freni struck out Burgio for the second out. A full count walk to Callahan-Montague loaded the bases but Freni struck out Brennan on three straight pitches to keep the Chiefs’ lead intact.

Guzman and Freni each retired the respective sides in order again in the fifth.

The Chiefs got a big insurance run in the top of the sixth. Guzman started the inning strong and struck out both Portes and Welch to open the frame. Gedman then doubled down the right-field line and Copa drove him home with a sharp single up the middle to bump the lead to 2-0. Andre then flew out to deep left to end the inning.

Two pop-ups and a strikeout by Freni kept the Reds quiet in the bottom of the sixth and the Chiefs picked up their third run of the night in the top of the seventh. Jonathan Bishop started the inning in relief of Guzman and issued a one out walk to Leva. Serino then singled down the left-field line and Bishop walked Portes to load the bases for Welch. Bishop got behind on the count before walking Welch on 3-1 fastball to force in Leva to make it 3-0. Aric Dama came on to face the left-handed hitting Gedman, with the bases still loaded, and got him to groundout to Justin Forman at first to end the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, Freni retired Burgio on a grounder to Barbati, got Callahan-Montague on fly to Mike Burgoyne, who had replaced Gedman in right, and then struck out Brennan to end the game.

With the win, Freni’s post season record since 2010 improved to 13-1.

ICL Playoff Notes….The Chiefs enter the 2015 series as the defending champs, looking for their third title in the last four years. They won the title last season in five games with a 4-0 victory at Morelli Field on August 26 ….The Blue Sox won in 2013, the Chiefs in 2012, and the Blue Sox again in 2011…..The two teams have played the maximum of twenty games in the championship series since 2011, and remarkably, they are both 10-10, while alternating the ICL crown in four straight five game series…..The Chiefs enter this series in search of the 20th championship in the history of the franchise. They won 13 titles while playing as the Hosmer Chiefs, beginning with their first in 1960. Since they were renamed the Andre Chiefs when ownership was switched to Chuck Andre of Andre Realty, now Re/Max Andrew Realty Services, after Hosmer Pontiac closed, they have won six titles since 1990. Interestingly, the Chiefs’ franchise won five consecutive titles in the rival Suburban Twi-League from 1961-1965, when the Chiefs left the ICL for a few years after getting their beginning in the ICL in 1958. The Chiefs returned to the ICL in 1966 and went on to win six of the next eight championships from 1967 thru 1974….The 2015 series will be the 30th time a Chiefs’ team has appeared in a league’s finals and the thirteenth championship series under Manager Chuck Andre….The Blue Sox will be looking for their 11th ICL championship since 1998….The Rick DeAngelis led club will be making their unprecedented ninth straight trip to the ICL’s big dance and the 14th in the history of the franchise……The last team to appear in the ICL finals, other than the Blue Sox or Chiefs, were the Watertown Reds in 2010, who the Blue Sox defeated in three straight games….The Chiefs enter the series with an overall record of 24-10 while the Blue Sox currently stand at 27-5…..

– Submitted by the Andre Chiefs