Lyon Mountain, NY – After the 2020 Empire Baseball League season was completely eliminated due to the
complications and restraints of the novel coronavirus, Opening Weekend for the 2021 summer
season was highly anticipated by residents of Tupper Lake, NY and its neighboring
counterparts.
Four teams sprung into action on June 12th & 13th to begin the season. The first matchup was
hosted by the defending 2019 champion Plattsburgh Thunderbirds and the visiting Saranac
Lake Surge.
In the first game Saturday, the home team Thunderbirds struggled to gain much ground early
offensively as the pitching and defense of the Surge limited opportunities. On the other end, the
Surge bats came out hot, providing them with a comfortable cushion of runs.
The early lead by the Surge would soon shrink as Plattsburgh began to find effective ways to
get on base and score runs. Center Fielder Hanley Acevedo provided his Thunderbird team with
the spark they needed after lighting up the field hitting 3-4 with two doubles, a single, seven
bases and, ultimately, four runs.
The Thunderbirds would, however, come up short and fall to the Surge 13-11 after an explosive
showing of Saranac Lake offense late in the game.
Looking to come out hot to redeem their game one loss, the Thunderbirds starting pitcher
brought the fire, throwing a complete game shutout to go along with two hits allowed to pick up
their first win of the season. The Plattsburgh bats came out firing early and would ultimately
score ten runs to even the four game set.
Even though the Plattsburgh Thunderbirds would start the season 0-1 and would later pick up
their first win, the team is confident in themselves and their ability to hit the ball both with power
and effective contact. In a post game interview Saturday with Thunderbirds player of the game
Hanley Acevedo, he said that he “personally felt comfortable at the plate” and that the team, as
a whole, is a “great hitting team”. He would later explain to reporter Jake Manyin that the team
needs to “shake off the rust and keep showing out”. That would prove to be evident as the
Thunderbirds found their way to win Sunday and even the set.
Game three of the four game series is set to occur tomorrow at Lyon Mountain Park at 1 p.m. if
expected thunderstorms and rainfall don’t force postponement
Article by Jack Burgess
Empire League Press
