2024 Intercity League Champions – Andre Chiefs
Bulldogs Walk Off ADSL in Only ICL Game Played on Tuesday
INTERCITY LEAGUE NEWS & NOTES
Dunphy, Chiefs Beat Bulldogs 6-1, Advance to Meet Alibrandis Tonight at LHS
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.
Expos Beat Maddogs, ICL Playoff Seedings TBD on Sunday as Regular Season Concludes
The Middlesex Expos beat the Malden Maddogs 7-2 on Saturday afternoon to eliminate the Maddogs from the 2021 ICL playoffs and clinch the sixth seed for the Reading Bulldogs. As a result, the #6 Bulldogs will now meet the #5 Andre Chiefs on Monday at 8:00 PM at Maplewood in a play-in game. The winner of Monday’s game will move on to a second play-in game vs. the fourth seed (Alibrandis or Melrose) on Tuesday night to determine which team will advance to the best of three semi-final round. Sunday’s Alibrandis at Melrose Americans game at Morelli Field at 3:00 PM will decide who will be the ICL’s third and fourth seed. The winner of the game will meet the #2 seeded Middlesex Expos on Wednesday while the loser drops to fourth and will be forced to meet the Bulldogs-Chiefs winner on Tuesday to determine who will move on to battle the #1 Blue Sox in Lexington on Wednesday night at 8:00 PM. Heading into Sunday’s game, the Americans stand at 13-10 (26 points) and Alibrandis enters the game at 12-10-1 (25 points). The Chiefs and Expos will also conclude their respective regular seasons when they meet at Maplewood tonight at 8:00 PM. The Maddogs-Bulldogs game has been cancelled. In Saturday’s game, the first ICL game ever played at Lawrence Academy, the Expos rode the complete game three hit, 12 strikeout, pitching of Ryan Qualey (3-1) to the win. Andrew Mazzone (3-4) led the Expos at the plate with a homer, double, and two RBI’s, while Michael Oliveira also went 3-4 including two doubles. For Mazzone, it was his league leading eighth round tripper of the season.
Blue Sox win Thursday night, clinch first place
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
Americans Beat Expos, Chiefs Top Alibrandis in Tuesday ICL Action
Noah Jankowski had a homer and two RBI’s when the Melrose Americans beat the Middlesex Expos 3-1 on Tuesday night at Morelli Field. Bobby Tramondozzi pitched a scoreless seventh to pick up his league leading fifth save of of the season in relief of starter Mike Nestor (5 innings, 1-0) and reliever Nick Colucci (1 inning). Matt Hosman had the third RBI for the Americans. Cam Monagle (3-1) took the loss for the Expos. At Maplewood, the Andre Chiefs turned around a 4-1 fifth inning deficit, scoring three times in top of the sixth and adding a couple more runs in the seventh, on the way to a 6-4 win over Alibrandis. Nick Valdario (3-4, triple, RBI), Graham Smith (2-3, 2 RBI’s), and Andrew Caulfield (double, 2 RBI’s), led the Chiefs in backing Tim Dunphy’s (3-2) complete game win. Gordie Gronkowski hit a homer for Alibrandis. Sean Sullivan (1-3) went the distance but took the loss.