Medford's Summer League Baseball Rundown

With summer baseball drawing to a close, one of Medford’s Intercity League franchises is battling through the playoff bracket, while the other is left to wait until next year. In the Yawkey League, a run of good form propelled the Maddogs into the postseason.

Here’s a look at Medford’s summer baseball entries and all the other sports action from around town last week.

Intercity League

Medford Americans

The Americans missed out on the postseason this August, finishing with a regular-season record of 10-21-1, and despite the lack of success in the standings, several Americans turned in solid summer campaigns. 

Joe Sheehan led the club at the plate, batting .349 with three homers and five extra basehits, while James McConville batted .310 with one home run and four doubles. On the mound it was Dan Walsh who paced Medford. Walsh went 3-for-4 with a 2.57 earned run average and fanned 41 batters.

Andre Chiefs

The Chiefs were in contention for a first round bye heading into the season finale against the Wakefield Merchants on August 9, with a chance to steal second place—along with the coveted free pass through the opening round of the postseason—if they could grab the victory. While the Merchants managed just two hits against the Chiefs pitching, they didn’t require any to prevail, scoring all three of their runs in the fifth inning—without the benefit of a single basehit. The Merchants won, 3-2, and outpaced the Chiefs for second place.

Having to fight their way through as the third seed, the Chiefs opened the postseason campaign on August 10 against the Watertown Reds and fell 4-1 at home in the first game of a three-game series. Nick Leva drove in the Chiefs lone run, while Matt Boleski went 2-for-3 at the plate. Game two, on August 12, saw the Chiefs pull even with the Reds thanks to a 3-2 victory. Tim Dunphy (1-0) picked up the win for the Chiefs, while 

Mike Baillargeon (2-for-3) collected a triple and an RBI. Jeff Bercume (1-for-3, double) and Mike DiCato (2-for-3, double) also plated runs. Vinny Pennell swatted a triple as well. On August 13, the Chiefs took the decisive third game of the series, 3-2, in nine innings behind the arms of Jared Freni and Rob Machado. Freni fanned nine over seven innings before yielding to Machado, who allowed just one hit over the last two innings. With the score tied at two heading into the last of the ninth, the Chiefs took the game and the series with a run. Bercume drove in two, while DiCato also collected an RBI.

The win set the stage for what is sure to be an epic second-round battle against the Wakefield Merchants, beginning on August 15.

Yawkey League

The Medford Maddogs wrapped up the regular season with a record of 17-15, and qualified for the post season by the skin of their teeth. The month of August, especially, 

has not been very kind to the squad, as the Maddogs won just three of their eight games this month—none of them coming last week. Medford fell to bitter border rivals the Malden Bulldogs on August 9, 5-2, and managed just two runs on four hits in the process. Matt Delaney and Sean Callahan drove in the Maddogs runs, while Jay Sablone went 2-for-3 at the plate. On August 10, the Stoneham Sabers downed Medford by a 3-2 margin at Stoneham High. Peter Byron doubled and drove in a run for the Maddogs, while Mike Delaney also collected an RBI.

Medford’s regular season finale came on August 12 at Boston’s Rogers Park, as the Brighton Minuteman became the fourth straight team to best the Maddogs, by virtue of a  7-4 romp. Medford was led by Josh Rodriguez, who was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, while Buddy Hanley and Sablone also plated runs.

The Yawkey League playoffs commence on August 15.