TUPPER LAKE, NY  –  After taking two games from the Japan Islanders in the first series of the season, the Tupper Lake River Pigs took three out of four games from their rival, the Saranac Lake Surge. 

The first game of the series came down to the wire as the Surge brought the score within one at 8-7 in the top of the eighth inning. However, they were unable to get any momentum going against River Pigs closer Randy Alcantara, who shut the door striking out one batter in the process.

The River Pigs were led offensively by Khalyd Cox, who went 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and Mikey Edie who went 2-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs.

On the pitching side, Jared Dingus led the way with a strong start, going 4.1 innings, allowing only one earned run, and striking out two batters. He was followed by Zach Goree who put in a strong 0.2 inning outing, striking out both batters he faced. Jorge Hurtado however had a hard time getting outs in the final two innings allowing three runs and allowing the Surge to comeback and make the game close. 

On the Surge side, Christian Naccari got on base in all five of his at-bats, going 3-3 with two singles, a double and two walks. Yordi Francisco followed up Naccari’s performance with a 1-4 day cashing in two RBIs.

The starter for the Surge, Jay Palais, gave the Surge the length they needed in order to preserve their depleted bullpen. Palais went 6.0 innings, and struck out five batters, he allowed eleven hits and five earned runs, but his defense was not his best friend during the game, committing four errors.

Game two of the series was a different story, towards the end of the game, the Surge pulled away to complete their first win of the season, 11-5. This game was Christian Naccari’s final game with the Surge as he went 4-6 with a double, a home run and five RBIs. After this game, Naccari was called up to the Empire State Greys.

The Surge got another lengthy start from their starter, Jessel Soto, who, like Palais, went 6.0 innings. However, Soto only allowed four runs, and was able to strikeout seven River Pigs batters. 

On the River Pigs side, their offense was led by Mikey Edie, who went 3-4 with three RBIs, yet another game in which he dominated to help keep the River Pigs alive. However, their pitching let them down in this game. Jose Mieses, Joseph Brennan, Austin Henson and Jose Zacharias were all unable to put out the hot Surge offense. 

Just like the first game, the third game of the series ended in a close one run 6-5 River Pigs victory. The River Pigs were led by a fantastic start by Daniel Rojas, who went six innings, allowed only three hits and struck out four batters. Jorge Hurtado came in to relieve Rojas and failed to get an out as he allowed two runs on three walks. Fortunately, Zach Goree came in and threw two strong innings, striking out five batters. 

In his first game, Randy Alcantara had a very strong outing. In this outing however, he almost handed the Surge their second straight win. But, he was able to win the game for the River Pigs, allowing three runs and striking out two batters.

Walner Espinal provided the spark for the River Pigs offense going 3-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. All three of his hits were singles, but he was able to score off of each of them, helping to pad the River Pigs lead.

The Surge’s starter, Cairo Selden, was mostly ineffective and had a hard time throwing strikes against the River Pigs offense. Selden was able to pitch 4.1 innings, but he walked eight batters, gave up two hits and three earned runs. Shawn McFeggan entered for Selden and put in a smooth 1.2 inning outing. Mark Berryman, the pitcher who entered for McFeggan surrendered two earned runs to the River Pigs, giving them the lead for good. 

The starting pitching for Saranac did not look much better in the final game of the series. In the game that would decide either a series split or a Tupper Lake series win, the Surge sent Ryan Evans to the mound. In his outing, Evans went 4.0 innings, he gave up nine hits, nine runs, two walks, while only striking out three batters. Jordan Rhodes, who relieved Evans, did not get help from his defense as he allowed four runs to score, but only one was earned. Steven Adamson entered after Rhodes to finish off the final two innings and was much better than the two before him, allowing two hits, a walk and one unearned run.

Yordi Francisco led Saranac in the offensive category, going 2-4 in the game. He hit a single and double with two RBIs. Nine hole hitter Dominiq Moore went 1-4 with a solo home run.

For the River Pigs, Brandon Camargo had a big game, knocking in four RBIs and going 1-3. Walner Espinal, Hector Martinez and Chandler Kazele each had two RBIs en route to the Tupper Lake victory.

Starter and two way player, Jose Zacarias, did not have his best stuff on the mound, going 4.1 innings, allowing all six of the Saranac runs to score. He also allowed nine hits and struck out four batters.

The River Pigs welcome the Plattsburgh Thunderbirds to Tupper Lake for the first time this season also marking the first matchup between the top two teams in the EBL. The first game of the series is set to take place on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at Municipal Park. The Surge are set to face the Japan Islanders in Lyon Mountain for the first game of a scheduled four game set at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Article by Ben Diamond

TUPPER LAKE, NY –  The Tupper Lake River Pigs put on another show on the Municipal Park diamond as they handled the Japan Islanders with ease in the 14-1 seven inning affair. Brandon Sattenfield got the start for the River Pigs and shut down the Islanders lineup in five strong innings. In those innings, Sattenfield only gave up three hits and one hit batter, while striking out four. He was followed up with Luis Pacheco who put in two strong innings, only allowing two hits and one walk, but he did allow the lone Islander run to score. All six outs Pacheco recorded were strikeouts. 

For the second game in a row, the River Pigs lineup was unstoppable. At the top, Khalyd Cox went 2-3 with 2 singles, and two walks while also scoring three runs. Bramdon Perez went 1-3 with an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored. Mikey Edie followed up his 5-5 performance with a solid 2-4 with three RBI’s, a stolen base and two runs scored.

Hector Martinez went 1-4 on the night with two runs scored and an RBI. Following him was Walner Espinal who went 1-3 with a triple, three RBIs and a run scored. First baseman, Chandler Kazele went 1-4 with an RBI as well.

On the other side of the ball, the Japan Islanders had a tough time in every aspect of the game. The Islanders ended the game with three errors in the field leading to the large River Pigs lead. The Islanders starter Johsson Arias, who came in from the Empire State Greys, had a very rough start. Arias was only able to complete two innings of work, allowing eight total runs with seven of them being earned. He allowed seven hits and two walks while only striking out two. 

Rui Akagawa followed him and didn’t fair much better. In his 2.1 innings of work, Akagawa allowed five runs, four earned, only two hits, but five walks and only struck out one batter. Oto Amagai faired the best of the Islanders three pitchers, only allowing one unearned run, one hit, with one strikeout, but he walked three batters. The lone Islanders run came on a late inning Takuto Hasegawa RBI single. 

Tonight, the Islanders will start a new series up in Plattsburgh versus the Thunderbirds. The game is set to start at 4:00 p.m. The River Pigs are set to face the Saranac Lake Surge at Municipal Park at 7:00 p.m. 

Article by Benjamin Diamond

PLATTSBURGH, NY –  The Plattsburgh Thunderbirds swept the two game series versus the Saranac Lake Surge with an 8-0 shutout on Thursday night. The pitching for the Thunderbirds was the story of the game which was able to hold the Surge off the board. Starter Keyvan Grenald, who was also named one of the players of the game, gave the Thunderbirds five strong innings, allowing five hits and two walks and struck out six batters. 

Second player of the game for Plattsburgh was Emmanuel Brantley who relieved Grenald. Brantley pitched two perfect innings, and struck out one batter. The final player of the game was Brandon Madero. Madero went 1-1 with three walks and a stolen base. 

After their two game sweep of the Surge, the Thunderbirds welcome the Japan Islanders for a three game set as they look to continue their hot start while the Surge head down to Tupper Lake for the first Rivalry Series of the season.

Article by Benjamin Diamond

TUPPER LAKE, NY  –  The Tupper Lake River Pigs opened the season with a strong display of offense and pitching as they took down the Japan Islanders 12-3. The River Pigs were led by a combined effort on the mound from starter Daniel Rojas, Joseph Brennan and Zachary Goree. Rojas went five strong innings, allowing only one unearned run and two hits, while striking out seven batters. Other than the third inning, when the River Pigs defense let him down, Rojas kept the Islanders lineup off-balance throughout his outing. 

Brennan followed up Rojas with two strong innings, only allowing one hit, and striking out one. Goree entered the game in the eighth inning, inheriting a large River Pigs lead. Although he was able to close out the game without giving up the lead, he did struggle a but, walking two batters and allowing three hits, one being a home run in the eighth and ninth inning.

Although the River Pigs pitching showcased its strength, it was overshadowed by the versatility of the teams offense. The most impressive game came from player of the game, Mikey Edie, a player out of the San Francisco Giants organization, who went 5-5, with three runs scored, a triple, a home run and four RBI’s. 

The top and middle of the River Pigs’ batting order impressed as well. Hector Martinez, the designated hitter who bat in the four spot right behind Edie, had himself a day as well, going 3-5 with one run scored, a home run and three RBI’s. After Martinez bat shortstop Walner Espinal who went 2-4 with a run scored and a double. Leadoff hitter Khalyd Cox went 1-4 with two runs scored, a double, a walk and three RBI’s, playing a big role in the River Pigs win.

With the win, the River Pigs start the season 1-0 and look to be one of the better teams in the Empire Baseball League this summer. It remains to be seen if the strong play showcased in the game can be sustained throughout the season. 

After a rainout on Thursday, the River Pigs will look to take the series over the Islanders tomorrow, June 10. The game is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. eastern at Municipal Park in Tupper lake.

Article by Benjamin Diamond

The Frontier League of Professional Baseball announced a partnership with the Empire League which will own and operate the Empire State Greys as a participant in the Frontier League during the 2022 season. The Greys, based out of Tupper Lake, New York, will be playing all of their games on the road, but will field a team by adhering to the same roster and salary rules as all Frontier League clubs.

The Empire League began play in 2016 and features four teams in upstate New York and northern New Hampshire. The Empire League is owned by brothers Eddie and Jerry Gonzalez along with MLB outfielder Matt Joyce. Eddie Gonzalez played in the Frontier League from 2006-08, including participating in the 2006 Championship Series. Jerry Gonzalez played as an infielder in the Los Angeles Angels’ organization in 2007 and 2008. Matt Joyce has appeared in 1,400 MLB games over a 14-year career, and saw post-season action for Tampa Bay, Atlanta, and Miami.

The Empire League moved 34 players to MLB Partner Leagues during the 2021 season, including 10 to the Frontier League. Current Frontier League coaches Joe Gannon (Tri-City) and Jared Lemieux (New Jersey) plus former Frontier League and current Atlantic League managers Jamie Keefe and Mark Mason have worked with the Empire League.

“We are very interested in seeing where this partnership goes. The Empire League’s historical ties to the Frontier League plus their New York base made them an ideal partner,” stated deputy commissioner Steve Tahsler. “Eddie Gonzalez has impressive baseball experiences and we like what he brings in terms of his player development skills, network, and desire to compete.”

The Empire State Greys will hold spring training at their home base in Tupper Lake, New York, before starting regular season play at the Gateway Grizzlies on May 13. Empire State will play in the league’s Eastern Division. They will play one 3-game series against the eight Western Division clubs, three series against the three Canadian teams in the Eastern Division, and four series against the four United States teams in the Eastern Division. Their full schedule is available at www.empirestategreys.com.

“It is a great honor to be able to join forces with the Frontier League,” stated Empire League CEO Eddie Gonzalez. “For us at the Empire League, we take pride in providing our best available scouting and recruitment baseball service to help players advance their careers. Having a team in the Frontier League through this great partnership, will create huge opportunities for not only Empire League players, but also open more doors for the up and coming players pursuing a pro career. We look forward to filling a very competitive Greys roster this year in pursuit of a historic Frontier League championship”

The Frontier League of Professional Baseball is an official Partner League of Major League Baseball and the largest of its kind in professional baseball. The Frontier League has moved over 1,000 players to MLB Teams in its 29-year history. The 2022 Frontier League season opens on Thursday, May 12. Please visit www.frontierleague.com.

Article by Frontier League