Melrose, MA– Dionys Quezada went 3 for 4 with a homer, double, and three RBI’s and Kebler Peralta and Shane Rhuda drove in three runs each to lead the Middlesex Expos to a 16-2 Game Two win over the Melrose Americans at Morelli Field on Friday night.
With the win, the Expos tied the best of three semifinal series at 1-1. The deciding game will be played back at Morelli Field on Sunday.

Andrew Mazzone hit his first home run of the post season (ICL’s best ninth overall of the year) and Michael Oliveira and Bret Samboy each chipped in with a couple of RBI’s to help pace the Expos’ 15 hit offense.

Zach Kirby went the first five innings (2 hits, 7 K’s) to grab the win for Middlesex.

Colin Jaena, the first of five Melrose pitchers in the game, took the loss.

Pat Costigan had two of the Americans’ five hits.

Sunday’s game at Morelli Field will get underway at 7:30 PM.

By Bruce Hack
Lexington- Ryan O’Rourke executed a perfect bunt as John Fritz raced across home plate with the go-ahead run to give Lexington a 3-2 lead and send the Blue Sox on to a game one victory in their semifinal series against the Andre Chiefs.
Game two is scheduled for tonight with a 7:45 PM start at Maplewood (Malden Catholic).
The bottom of the sixth started with a single by Alex Voitik, who was pinch-run for by Fritz. Fritz stole second and Dahiandy Johnson walked. Will Potdevin sacrificed to move both runners into scoring position and set up the game-winning scenario.
The game was a typical Chiefs – Blue Sox playoff game. Close, back-and-forth with good pitching, defense and timely hitting.
Lexington scored in the bottom of the first. Josue Feliciano began the inning with a single to center. Feliciano was forced at second and Alex Krylov reaching on a fielders choice. Krylov stole second and Luke Hall walked. Krylov and Hall stole second and third putting two runners into scoring position. Voitik grounded out to second with Krylov scoring.
The Chiefs answered in the top of second. With one out Kyle DeRoma walked, moved to second on a wild pitch and reached third on a fielders choice. From there he scored on a sacrifice fly by Nick Valdario for a 1-1 game.
Lexington retook the lead in the bottom of the second. The Sox loaded the bases on a walk to Potdevin, single by O’Rourke, who pitches and hits for the Blue Sox, and a walk to Brendan Jones. Feliciano reached on a fielders choice with Potdevin scoring for a 2-1 lead.
For the third straight inning a team scored has the Chiefs tied the game in the top of the third. Nate Witkowski reached on a fielding error. He moved to second on a single by Ryan Noone. After two strikeouts, Adam Johnson singled to drive in Witkowski and tie the game at 2-2.
Both starters, the Chiefs Cal Carroll and Lexington’s O’Rourke settled down after the third. Carroll retired nine of 11 Sox batters, five on strikeouts, from the third through fifth innings.
O’Rourke got out of a first and third with one out threat in the first by striking out Andrew Caulfield and Graham Smith. From the fourth through sixth innings he set down eight straight and nine of the last 10 batters he faced.
With the Sox up 3-2 Manny Delcarmen came in to pitch the seventh and set down the Chiefs on six pitches. He combined with O’Rourke to retire 12 of the last 13 Chiefs batters.
O’Rourke finished with eight strikeouts and earned his first postseason win with the Blue Sox.
Johnson and Noone each had two hits for the Chiefs.

To watch the Lexington-Andre series go to Beyond Sight Sports on You Tube and find the game. You can watch game one or watch game two live.

Veteran lefty Tim Dunphy tossed a two-day complete game five-hitter when the Andre Chiefs eliminated the Reading Bulldogs 6-1 in a game started at Maplewood on Monday and completed at Victory Field last night.

The Chiefs made a five run first inning stand up.

With the win, the #5 Chiefs move on to meet the #4 seeded Alibrandis at Lexington High on Wednesday night at 8:15 PM in a single elimination second play-in game.

The winner of the Chiefs-Alibrandis game will go on to meet the #1 seeded Lexington Blue Sox in the first game of a best of three semi-final series starting Thursday at 8:00 PM in Lexington.

The #2 Middlesex Expos and the #3 Melrose Americans will also begin their semi-final series on Thursday night. Game one of that series will be played at Morelli Field at 7:30 PM.

By Bruce Hack
Watertown – In a game moved to Victory Field due to the weather, Lexington jumped out to an 8-0 lead and then held on for an 8-6 win over Alibrandis Thursday night. The Blue Sox win clinched a first place finish in the regular season at 18-6 for 36 points. Alibrandis is 12-10-1 for 25 points in fourth place with a game to play.

Julian Alvarez capped off the sixth run fourth inning with a three run home run, his second of the season. The Sox had Ryan O’Rourke on first (single) with two outs. Lexington took advantage of an Alibrandis error on a dropped infield pop up. Dom Zaher, Gage Gaunt and Luke Hall all delivered two-out singles that drove in a run for a 5-0 lead and setting up Alvarez.

Lexington scored twice in the third also with two outs in the inning. Brendan Jones tripled with one out. After the second out, Gaunt walked and Hall and Alvarez had RBI singles for the 2-0 lead.

Meanwhile on the mound for the Blue Sox O’Rourke faced 15 batters in his 5 innings pitched. He walked Juan Parra to start the game, struck out Pete John and then induced a double-play ground ball by Joe Maguire to end the inning. The southpaw then retired the next 12 batters, eight on strikeouts and finished with five scoreless and hitless innings. At one point he struck out five consecutive batters and seven of eight.
Alibrandis got to the Blue Sox bullpen in the sixth scoring four runs off Armando Acosta. Parra and John each had RBI singles to put Alibrandis on the board with one out. Steve Rizzuto had a two out, two-run single to make it 8-4 after six.

In the seventh with one out Alibrandis loaded the bases on singles by Charlie Auditore, pinch-hitter Tyler Ferdinand and Parra. John delivered a two-run single to make it 8-6 off Blue Sox reliever Robbie Cobb. They would get no closer as Lexington held on to sweep the season series, 4-0.

Alvarez drove in four runs for Lexington on two hits. Jones and Gaunt each scored twice and had two hits. Hall had a pair of two-out RBI.

For Alibrandis John had two hits and three RBI. Auditore scored twice and contributed two hits, including a double. Parra had two hits, a run and RBI.

O’Rourke earned his eighth win of the season finishing 8-0 with 94 strike outs in 50 innings pitched.
Scott McDonald started for Alibrandis and pitched a complete game. He gave up 13 hits, eight runs, two earned, walked three and struck out five.

Bruce Hack, Lexington Media Relations Director

Alibrandis erased a 7-2 sixth inning deficit on the way to a 13-8 extra inning win over the Malden Maddogs at Maplewood on Monday night. The winners scored five times in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 7-7. Malden scored a run in the bottom of the sixth to regain the lead at 8-7 before Alibrandis forced the extra inning with a run in their half of the seventh. Alibrandis posted their second five spot of the night in the top of the eighth to account for the 13-8 final. Juan Parra (3-4, double), Dave Lightbody (2-5, double, 3 RBI’s), Charlie Auditore (2-2, double) and Joe Boushell (2 RBI’s), led Alibarndis’ 12 hit offense. Tyler Ferdinand (1-0) got the win with two innings of scoreless pitching in relief of starter Anthony DelPrete (5 innings) and reliver Brian Bryan Saffelle (1 inning).

In Lexington, the Blue Sox beat the Chiefs 10-1. (See separate story by Lexington’s Media Director Bruce Hack).

On Tuesday, the Americans host the Middlesex Expos at Morelli Field in Melrose at 7:30 PM and the Chiefs visit Alibrandis at Maplewood (Malden Catholic) at 8:30 PM.