2024 Intercity League Champions – Andre Chiefs
Blue Sox Unbeaten Streak Extends to 13 Games
INTERCITY LEAGUE NEWS & NOTES
2024 Intercity League Award Winners Announced
2024 Intercity League Champions- Andre Chiefs Eddie Larson MVP- Chris Klein, Melrose Americans Tom Cassell Outstanding Hitter- Chris Klein, Melrose Americans Outstanding Pitcher-Silas Reed, Andre Chiefs Fireman of the Year- A.J. Rourke, Andre Chiefs Les DeMarco Sportsmanship Award- Sam Feeley, Lexington Blue Sox Rookie Hitter of the Year- Nick Anderson, Lexington Blue Sox Rookie Pitcher of the Year- Matt Draper, Lexington Blue Sox Batting Champion- Sam Browning, Malden Maddogs Playoff MVP’s- Teddy Dziuba, Tyler Ferdinand, Nate Witkowski, Andre Chiefs Playoff Pitching MVP-Silas Reed, Andre Chiefs
Bentley Legend and ICL Charter Hall of Famer Bob DeFelice Passes Away
Bentley University announced on Monday afternoon the death of legendary baseball coach and Director of Athletics Bob DeFelice at the age of 82. DeFelice spent 54 seasons as coach of the Bentley University baseball program until he retired in 2022. At the time of his retirement no baseball coach at any NCAA level had a longer tenure. Bob was inducted as a charter member of the Intercity League Hall of Fame in 2010 after a long and outstanding playing career as a catcher with the Boston Typos and the Hosmer Chiefs. A 1963 graduate of Boston College, “Defa” spent three seasons in the Boston Red Sox organization. He was a lifelong resident of Winthrop, MA and served as Winthrop High School’s football coach for 17 years and led the Vikings to two Super Bowls. Bob’s obituary is below:Robert DeFelice Obituary It is with great sadness that the family of Robert Anthony (“Coach”) DeFelice announce his passing on Sunday October 6, 2024. He was 82 years old at the time of his passing. An educator, administrator, and coach with a career spanning six decades, Coach will be remembered lovingly and forever for the countless number of lives he impacted. He was a lifelong resident of his beloved Winthrop, MA DeFelice is a 1959 graduate of Winthrop High School, and a 1963 graduate of Boston College with a Bachelor of Science degree in history. He began his coaching career in 1963 as head football coach and assistant basketball coach at Christopher Columbus High School, a position he held for three years. In 1965, he began a three-year playing career in the Boston Red Sox minor league organization. In 1967, he was a player-coach with the Pittsfield Red Sox. In that same year, He became the first head baseball coach of the then Bentley College Baseball program, a position he would hold for an astonishing 54 years. DeFelice spent 17 years (1970-86) as an educator, administrator, and head football coach at his alma mater, Winthrop High School. During that time, he led the Viking football program to a 101-65-2 record, with four Northeast Conference championships, a 33-game winning streak in the early 1980’s and two Eastern Massachusetts Division II Super Bowl titles. In 1987, he joined the Bentley University athletic department staff on a full-time basis, first as an assistant athletic director, then an associate athletic director, and finally in 1991 as the Director of Athletics. He held this position until he retired in 2022 at the age of 80. He has been inducted into nine Halls of Fame, the most recent being the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association Hall of Fame. He was honored by Boston College in 1986, Bentley in October 1999, and was a charter member of the Winthrop High Hall of Fame in 1997. In November 2002, he was one of four inductees into the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. In November 2010, he was a charter inductee into the Intercity Hall of Fame. He has also been inducted into the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches, the Boston Park League and the Union Printers International Baseball League halls of fame. DeFelice helped establish the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference and was a founder of the Eastern Football Conference. He served as the EFC commissioner from 1997-2000, when it was absorbed by the Northeast-10 Conference. Among the many honors he has received are the Jack Butterfield Award from the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association, the Murray Lewis Award from the Eastern Association of Intercollegiate Football Officials and the Whitey Allard and Marty McDonough Memorial Sportsmanship Award from the College Baseball Umpires Association of New England. He received the George C. Carens Award from the New England Football Writers in December 2017 for his lifelong contributions to the sport of football and received the Ron Burton Distinguished American Award in May 2022 from the Grinold Chapter of the National Football Foundation. DeFelice is survived by his wife of over 57 years Patricia (Markunas) DeFelice, his 4 children Christine, Kimberly, Michael, and Nicole all of Winthrop MA, and seven grandchildren: Alexandra, Michael, Robert, Anthony, Francesca, Matthew, and Nicholas. He is also survived by his Brother Francis DeFelice and his wife Susan (Mahegan) of Swampscott, MA, his sister Susan DeFelice of Winthrop, MA and countless nieces, nephews, and cousins. Family and friends are cordially invited to attend the visitation from the funeral home on Friday, October 11, 2024 from 3:00 to 7:00 PM. The funeral will be conducted from the funeral home on Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 9:00 AM followed by a funeral mass in St. John the Evangelist Church 320 Winthrop St., Winthrop at 10:00 AM. Services will conclude with the interment in the Belle Isle section of Winthrop Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Viking Pride Foundation at www.vikingpride.org or to the Bentley Falcons Athletics at www.bentley.edu.
Andre Chiefs are Champions, Again
Malden – For the second consecutive season the Andre Chiefs find themselves atop the Intercity League. The Chiefs edged out Lexington 5-4 in 8 innings Monday night at Pine Banks. For the Andre Chiefs, this is the first time they have won back-to-back titles. The first seven innings was a classic Chiefs – Blue Sox battle which saw the two teams end regulation in a 1-1 tie. The Chiefs broke open the game in the top of the eighth as the Blue Sox defense uncharacteristically made errors at a crucial moment. The inning began with Andrew Caulfield reaching on an error. Nate Witkowski singled, his second of the game, and the Chiefs had runners on first and second. Joe Bova reached on a fielder’s choice with Witkowski forced at second, and pinch-runner Nolan Lopes who was running for Caulfield, going to third. Number nine hitter Nick Valdario dropped down a bunt which Sox first baseman Justin Bosland charged in, fielded, and tossed to catcher Max Dushney, but Lopes slide knocked the ball out of Dushney’s glove and everyone was safe and the Chiefs had a 2-1 lead. After the second out, Tyler Ferdinand singled to right for his third hit to drive in two runs and give the Chiefs a 4-1 lead. Ferdinand scored the final run on a Sox error and it was 5-1 Andre. Lexington was not done. Chiefs starter, Silas Reed, struck out Anderson Jimenez and Julian Alvarez to put the Chiefs within one out of the championship. Jeff Costello drove a ball down the leftfield line into the corner and dove into third with a triple. It was the first extra-base hit of the game. On a 3-1 pitch, Nick Andersen took the ball the opposite way to left field driving it over the fence for. a two-run home run cutting the lead to 5-3. It was the Blue Sox’s first home run of the postseason. Chiefs manager Anthony Perry replaced Reed with game two starter Paul Frisoli. On another 3 and 1 pitch pinch-hitter Dom Gabardi went deep over the centerfield fence and suddenly it was 5-4 Andre. Frisoli ended the fireworks by striking out pinch hitter Andrew Selima and giving the title to the Chiefs. “It’s amazing,” stated Chiefs manager Anthony Perry when asked about winning consecutive titles. “It starts with a very special group of guys who believe in the process and our mission.” “It actually starts with Chuck (team owner Chuck Andre) he drives the ship.” Said Perry. “It is humbling to win with this group, especially coach Dave Caiazzo , who accepted the ICL Les Demarco championship trophy for the Chiefs, and who is retiring after this season,’ said Perry. “I cannot say enough about the Lexington Blue Sox” stated Perry. “They are a great franchise led by Rick DeAngelis.” The championship is the eighth Intercity League title for the Andre Chiefs. The Hosmer Chiefs have also won eight ICL titles. Hosmer also won five Suburban Twi-League titles. The Chiefs scored first in the top of the third. Singles by Ferdinand and Teddy Dzuiba put runners on the corner with one out. Hector Pellot’s infield out brought in Ferdinand for the 1-0 lead. Lexington knotted the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth. The Sox loaded the bases on singles by Alvarez and Costello, his second of three hits, and a fielder’s choice for Josue Feliciano. After the second out, Dushney was walked on four pitches to force in Alvarez and tie the game at 1-1. Reed (3-0) gave up seven hits in his 7 and 2/3 innings pitched. Reed finished his night with seven strikeouts, three walks, and three runs allowed. Matt Draper started for Lexington and gave them four strong innings. He scattered five hits, struck out three, and gave up the lone run. Ryan O’Rourke entered the game for the Blue Sox in the fifth following a single by Juan Parra. First baseman Bosland stopped the Chiefs threat, runners on the corners, as he made a diving stop on a ball headed to right field for the third out. O’Rourke also left runners stranded in the sixth and seventh innings. The lefty struck out four in his 3 and 2/3 innings of work. Blue Sox manager stated, “It is never easy against the Chiefs.” They come right at you.” These two teams battled for the eighth time in the ICL finals with the Chiefs coming out on top for the third time. This was the first time these two longstanding ICL franchises met in the finals since 2016. Another Intercity League season has come to a close. Again, the ICL provided its fans with some of the best amateur baseball in the area. The players and coaches thank the fans for their support this season. Looking forward to seeing everyone in 2025. By Bruce Hack, Lexington Team Historian
On to Game Five
1:30 PM UPDATE- MONDAY’S DECIDING GAME 5 WILL NOW BE PLAYED AT PINE BANKS STARTING AT 7:45 PM. PINE BANKS IS LOCATED ON THE MALDEN/MELROSE LINE. ENTER 100 MAIN ST, MELROSE MA 02176, INTO YOUR GPS. PLEASE NOTE THERE IS NO BLEACHER SEATING AT PINE BANKS. FANS ARE ENCOURAGED TO BRING THEIR OWN CHAIRS. Malden – Lexington extended the 2024 Intercity League Finals to a fifth game winning 7-3 Sunday night at Maplewood Park at Malden Catholic High School. The game was moved to Maplewood as Morelli Field was unplayable due to rain. The site of game five is scheduled for Morelli, but the weather may cause the game to be played at Maplewood. Lexington broke open a 3-3 tie with four runs in the top of the seventh. A walk Justin Bosland started the rally. Max Dushney dropped a bunt that Andre starter Evan Walsh fielded and threw over the head of first baseman Mitchell Schroeder and into right field. The errant throw allowed Bosland to come all the way around from first to score the go-ahead run. An infield out moved Dushney to third. The Chiefs went to the bullpen for the first time in the series and brought in A. J. Rourke. Jake McElroy greeted Rourke with a single to score Dushney for a 5-3 Blue Sox lead. Ben Leonard, a bases-loaded walk, and Josue Feliciano, single to left, drove in the final two Blue Sox runs for a 7-3 lead. Jean Carlos Ramirez (1-0) stranded Chiefs runners on second and third in the bottom of the seventh as he retired the last two Chiefs on outfield fly balls. Ramirez entered the game in the fourth with two runs scored and runners on second and third. He walked the first batter he faced to load the bases and then struck out Nick Valdario and Juan Parra on called third strikes. He finished his 3.2 innings outing walking six, striking out seven, and giving up three hits and a run. The Blue Sox scored three runs in the first. McElroy started the game off with an eight-pitch walk. Anderson Jimenez singled to drive in McElroy with his sixth RBI of the playoffs. Julian Alvarez followed with his sixth RBI on a sacrifice fly that brought home Jeff Costello. Jimenez scored the third run on a wild pitch. The Chiefs cut into the Sox lead in the fourth scoring two runs on Nate Witkowski’s double to make it 3-2. Though the Chiefs loaded the bases they could not do more damage in the fourth. The Chiefs knotted the score at 3-3 in the sixth. A walk to Witkowski and a single by Joe Bova put Chiefs on first and second with no outs. After Valdario struck out looking for the second time, Parra reached on fielder’s choice with Witkowski being forced at third on a nice play by Sox shortstop Jimenez. With two outs Tyler Ferdinand delivered a single through the right side that scored Bova and the game was all tied up. Yemer Pineda started for Lexington and went 3.1 innings before Witkowski’s double knocked him out of the game. He gave up just Witkowski’s hit but walked six Chiefs. Walsh (1-1), in his second start of the playoffs, lasted 6.1 innings. The lefty allowed only two hits; but walked four and gave up five runs, four earned. Chiefs’ veteran Teddy Dzuiba was held hitless for only the second time in these playoffs. He walked three times and has 11 hits and nine walks in the postseason. Lexington is now 6-1 in playoff games on August 18, including 2-0 versus the Chiefs. The Sox are now 15-6 on Sunday games in the playoffs and 6-1 against the Chiefs. Andre is now 5-8 on Sundays in the postseason and 5-3 in games on August 18. This will be the fifth time in eight finals meetings that the Blue Sox and Chiefs have gone to a game five. The last time was in 2014. This is the 11th meeting between the #1 and #2 seed in the finals since 2006. The previous ten times have been split evenly with each seed winning the title five times. A team will break that tie tonight. By Bruce Hack Lexington Team Historian