The biggest Sunday of the 2018 season looms when the pivotal third game of both semi-final series will be played today. Both best of five series are tied 1-1.

The Wakefield Merchants host the Watertown Reds at Walsh Field in Wakefield at 3:00 PM, The Merchants took the opening game 7-5 and the Reds rebounded with a 16-3 win on Friday night.

The Albrandis-Lexington Blue Sox series continues tonight in Lexington at 8:00 PM. Alibrandis took game one in Lexington 5-2 and the Blue Sox took a 6-0 shutout win in game two.

Game four of both series will be played on Monday night at 8:00 PM. The Lexington-Albrandis game will be at Maplewood/Malden Catholic while Wakefield and Watertown will meet at Morelli Field in Melrose.

If a game five is needed in either series it will be played on Tuesday night.

Malden – Dan Graham scored from third on Dorian Rojas’ infield out in the top of the sixth with the only run Lexington would need as the Blue Sox blanked Alibrandis 6-0 to knot their semifinal series at 1-1.

Through five innings the game was 0-0 as both teams had opportunities, but could not deliver. The teams combined for seven hits, seven walks and stranded 15 base runners through the first five innings.

Lexington starter, Drew Leenhouts, left bases loaded with two outs in the third, a runner at second in the fourth and came out in the fifth with two outs and runners on first and second. Manny Delcarmen came in out of the pen to shut down the threat. He gave up an infield single to load the bases then got the final out on a fielder’s choice.

Brian Tanguy, who started for Alibrandis, walked two batters in the first and stranded them and then did the same thing in the fifth. He gave up one hit, a Thomas Russo single in the second, through the first four innings. In the fifth singles by Jeff Vigurs and Taylor Ferguson placed Blue Sox on the corners with two out, but again Tanguy left them on base.

Graham started the sixth with a sharp single to left, that prompted Alibrandis to remove Tanguy after throwing a 109 pitches. Julian Alvarez greeted relief pitcher James Cramphin with a single up the middle and the Sox had runners at first and second. Pinch-hitter Morgan Brown delivered a sacrifice bunt that moved both runners into scoring position with one out. Graham broke for home on contact and scored what turned out to be the winning run on Rojas chopper to the right side. Dom Zaher followed with his second straight RBI single (he had one in his only at bat on Friday) to make it 2-0.

In the top of the seventh the Blue Sox loaded the bases on a double by Ferguson, a fielders choice and a walk. Alibrandis again went to the bullpen bringing in Bryan Safelle to face Brown. On an 1-0 pitch Brown drove the ball down the left field line and clanged it off the flagpole well above the fence for a grand slam home run and a 6-0 lead.

Alibrandis had at least one base runner in every inning but the first, but was unable to get the big hit as Leenhouts, Delcarmen and Nick Godfroy combined on the five hit shutout. The trio of Sox hurlers combined for eight strike outs and left nine runners stranded, included six in scoring position.

The series returns to Lexington on Sunday night with an 8:00 pm start at Lexington High School’s Center One field.

 

 

Lexington – The Alibrandis Baseball Club won game one of its semifinal series against Lexington 5-2 to take a 1-0 series lead.

Teddy Dziuba drove in three runs, two with a double in the three-run fifth, and the final run on a fielder’s choice in the seventh.  His double in the fifth gave the Alibrandis a 3-0 lead.

Anthony Delprete (1-0) started and pitched four shutout innings for the Alibrandis. He pitched three 1-2-3 innings only allowing baserunners in the second inning. The veteran right hander gave up two singles in the second, but also struck out the side. Delprete finished with six strikeouts, four of them looking.

In the fourth the Alibrandis loaded the bases with no outs on two singles and an error. Bobby Barrett singled through the left side to drive in Mike Maguire with the first run. That was all the Alibrandis would get that inning as Lexington starter Alsis Herrera struck out Gordie Gronkowski and Matt Henriksen and then retired Jamill Moquette on an infield popup to end the threat.

Lexington mounted a rally in the bottom of the seventh, but came up short only scoring twice.

Dan Graham started the rally with a double to left. After an out, Jeff Vigurs reached on a two-base error, but Graham could only go to third. Dom Zaher followed with an RBI single to center scoring Graham and putting Blue Sox on first and third with one out. Ross Curley drove a ball deep to right center, but Maguire made the catch for the second out, it was deep enough for Vigurs to come home to make the score 5-2.

Herrera pitched four plus innings for the Sox. The lefty gave up six hits, walked none and struck out five in taking the loss.d

Game two of the series is Friday night at Malden Catholic’s Maplewood Field with first pitch scheduled at 8:00 PM.

 

 

 

 

Bobby Barrett (pictured) hit a grand slam in the top of the eighth inning, to break a 1-1 tie, and then Alibrandis held on to beat the Reading Bulldogs 5-2 at Morelli Field. With the win, Alibrandis tied the series up at one game each.

Tyler Cedeno drove in Mason Campbell in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game up for the Bulldogs. Lew Jensen and James Cramphin combined to get the win for Alibrandis.  Jack Theriault took the loss in the eighth inning in relief of Ben Gottesman. Gottesman allowed only four hits in his seven innings.

The deciding game three of the Reading-Alibrandis series will be now played at Victory Field in Watertown on Sunday at 7:00 PM. It was originally scheduled at Morelli Field but has been moved to the artificial surface at Victory due to wet grounds in Melrose.

Game two of the Andre Chiefs-Watertown Reds series will also be played on Sunday at Maplewood/Malden Catholic at 8:00 PM. If a third game is needed, it would be played in Watertown on Monday night. The Reds lead that series 1-0.

The #1 seeded Lexington Blue Sox and #2 seeded Wakefield Merchants await their opponents in the best of five semi-finals which are scheduled to begin on Tuesday. The Blue Sox will host game one at Lexington High at 8:00 PM while the Merchants will play at Trum Field in Somerville at 8:15 PM.