2025 Intercity League Champions – Lexington Blue Sox
Blue Sox Sweep Bulldogs to Take 2025 Championship
INTERCITY LEAGUE NEWS & NOTES
Americans Win in Lexington 6-2, Alibrandis Rally Past Maddogs 7-5
Chris Hopkins went 3 for 3, and the Melrose Americans got a couple of hits each from Dan Cacciola, Kyle Cortese, and Mike Goddu, as well as a two RBI single from Dave Center, to beat the Blue Sox in Lexington 6-2. Shawn Smeglin (2-2) pitched 4.2 innings, allowing just four hits, to earn his second win. Aran Hamilton-Grenham threw 2.1 innings of no-hit ball to earn his third save. Matt Karis (1-1) took the loss. Alibrandis scored four times in the bottom of the sixth inning to come from behind and beat the Malden Maddogs 7-5 at Ferullo Field. Teddy Dziuba led the way at the plate with a double and three RBi’s and Bobby Barrett added three hits for Alibrandis. Bryan Saffelle (1-0) got the win in relief of Brian Tanguay and James Cramphin recorded the save.
Bulldogs Win Third Straight, Merchants Take Fourth in Row on Thursday
The Reading Bulldogs scored five times in the top of the eighth inning, breaking a 2-2 tie, and went on to a 7-3 extra inning win over the Melrose Americans at Morelli Field. The Bulldogs got a homer, two hits, and two RBI from Chris Bosco (pictured), and three hits from Tyler Cedeno, to lead the 14 hit attack. Malcolm Nachmanoff homered and Dave Center had three hits for the Americans. Ben Gottesman (2-0) got the win with two innings of relief. In Thursday’s other game, the Wakefield Merchants edged Alibrandis 7-6 at Ferullo Field in Woburn.
Bulldogs, Merchants & Reds Grab Wednesday Wins
Johnny Hayes’ fifth inning double proved to be the big hit when the Reading Bulldogs came from behind to edge the Andre Chiefs 4-3 at Maplewood. Jack Burke (3-0) went five innings to get the win while Cam Lanzill threw two perfect innings to record the save. Homers by Leivi Ventura and Johnny Welch gave the Chiefs a 3-1 lead in the fourth. Mike Gedman (0-1) pitched well, going five innings and allowing five hits, but took the loss. Tyler Cedeno, Chris Bosco and Jeff Roy had RBI’s for the Bulldogs in the win. Mike Andrews got the complete game win when the Merchants erased a 2-0 sixth inning deficit to walk off with a 3-2 win over the Somerville Royals in Wakefield. Ryan Collins and Scott Searles (2) delivered the late inning RBI’s for the Merchants. A solo homer from Brady Chant and an RBI double from Jake Cintolo gave the Royals the lead. Andrews (3-1) allowed five hits and struck out seven. Paul Covelle (2-2) took the loss despite striking out 11. At Morelli, the Watertown Reds used a complete game four-hitter from Nate Beck, and got a homer and four RBI’s from Dan Chaisson (pictured), to turn back the host Melrose Americans 9-1. Beck (1-2) struck out eight. For Chaisson it was his third home run of the season. Kyle LaVigne, Jake Miller and Bryan McGrath added two hits each for the Reds. Dan Cacciola had two of the Americans’ four hits.
Alibrandis, Merchants & Blue Sox all Rally to Take Monday Wins
Lew Jensen spun a complete game five-hitter and Alibrandis got homers from Dave Lightbody and Teddy Dziuba to beat the Melrose Americans 8-1 at Morelli Field. Jensen (2-1) struck out seven. For Lightbody (pictured left) its was his fourth homer of the season. Dan Cacciola had two of the five Melrose hits. Alibrandis scored twice in the third and added a half dozen runs in the fourth to erase a 1-0 Americans’ first inning lead. Chris Butler’s two run double tied the game, and Scott Searles single provided the go ahead run, when the Wakefield Merchants scored three times in the top of the sixth inning to come from behind and beat the Andre Chiefs 4-2 at Maplewood. Alex Erwin (1-0) went 5.1 innings to get the win while Brandon Bartlett recorded his first save. Evan Walsh (2-3) blanked the Merchants over the first five frames but took the loss. Sacrifice flies from Danny DiMare and Juan Portes gave the Chiefs a 2-0 lead. Veteran Dan Graham singled in the tying run, and Thomas Russo brought in the winning run with an infield out in the sixth, when the Blue Sox scored twice to go in front and then held on to nip the Somerville Royals 3-2 in Lexington. Domenic Zahr threw out the tying run at the plate to end the game. Somerville took a 2-1 lead on RBI singles from Jake Cintolo and John Collette in the top of the fifth. Drew Brzozowski (1-0) picked up the win with 1.1 IP, 1H, 2Ks in relief of Casey Bussone and Conor Gleason got the save. Chris Ramos (0-1) took the loss despite allowing just four hits as the Royals outhit the Sox 8-4 in the game. (Craig Henry Photo)