A furious rally by the Brighton Black Sox proved to be the difference as the Alibrandis suffered a heartbreaking 6-5 defeat in Sunday afternoon's match-up at Rogers Park.

By Mike Rubin
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With a 5-0 lead in hand, the Somerville Alibrandis appeared to have notched another victory. Instead, a furious rally by the Brighton Black Sox proved to be the difference as the Alibrandis suffered a heartbreaking 6-5 defeat in Sunday afternoon’s match-up at Rogers Park.
The Alibrandis, who stood at 16-6-1 as of press time, are now seven points out of first place in their men’s summer baseball league division, trailing the Malden Bulldogs (20-4).
“It was a game we should’ve won,” said coach Rob McDonough. “The guys are working hard, but give them [Black Sox] credit. They came back and they were able to get the key hits for the win.”
On the mound, Chris Foundas earned the no decision, tossing five solid innings while allowing four runs before Jay Wisner suffered the loss, allowing two more runs in the sixth.
At the plate, Marc DesRoches led the way offensively, recording two hits along with two walks and an RBI.
“The (loss) was tough because it puts us back further in the standings for first place,” said McDonough. “We just have to shake it off, and focus on the next game.”
In Saturday night’s cross town rivalry against the Winter Hill Cyclones at Trum Field, the Alibrandis coasted to a 16-3 dominating victory. In the top of the seventh, the Alibrandis erupted for nine unanswered runs en route to the win.
Offensively, DesRoches shined in the spotlight, recording four hits, including two doubles and two RBIs while Ted Dzuiba also added four hits. Also contributing was David Scioli, who registered three hits and five RBIs while Matt Deeb and Bernie Driscoll chipped in with two hits apiece.
Scioli also launched a pair of home runs to pace the offense while Driscoll engineered an RBI triple. Also contributing with extra base hits was Ted Dzuiba, Deeb and Sal Mendonca, who contributed with doubles.
On the mound, Jon Morse earned the win in relief, firing four scoreless innings while allowing just three hits, walking one and striking out five. Earning the no decision was Steve Szathmary, who fired the first three innings while scattering eight hits and two earned runs.
After both teams were mired in a 3-3 tie, the Alibrandis grabbed a 5-3 lead in the top of the fourth before securing the win with nine runs in the top of the seventh.
Led by a masterful pitching performance by Dave Fioretti, the Alibrandis delivered a solid 9-0 shutout win over East Boston last Wednesday. Fioretti scattered just three hits while striking out 12 and walking two.
In the top of the first, the Alibrandis erupted for five runs before adding two in the top of the second. Securing the win, the Alibrandis added two additional runs in the top of the fifth. Offensively, Driscoll and Dziuba and Chad Conner each recorded two hits apiece while DesRoches also contributed with a hit and two runs scored.
Leading the offense for the Alibrandis is Scioli, who is hitting a team leading .388 batting average while posting 26 hits in 67 at bats. He also leads the squad with four doubles and four home runs. Also emerging among the top leaders is DesRoches, who’s recorded a .382 batting average while registering three doubles and 14 RBIs. Also among the top hitting leaders for the Alibrandis are Adjatay Nyadjroh (.372) and Justin Crisafulli (.364).