On Monday, June 21st, the Tupper Lake Riverpigs headed to Lyon Mountain, NY to take on the Plattsburgh Thunderbirds for their first series matchup of the regular season. The Thunderbirds are coming off three straight losses against the New Hampshire Wild while Tupper Lake, a week prior, won three games of a four game set against cross-lake rival Saranac Lake Surge. Preceding the series, Tupper Lake stood alone atop the standings and Plattsburgh at the bottom with an overall record of 2-4. For Plattsburgh, this series serves as a redemption set; a win or wins against Tupper will help bolster the confidence the Thunderbirds need going down the stretch. In order for the Riverpigs to keep their impressive play and consistency alive, a good performance against the T-Birds would be ideal for their team as they look to increase their win total. Early on in game one, the Riverpig offense posted a quick two runs, highlighted by a two run blast by outfielder Edward Salcedo to left field, to help give starting pitcher Jose Zacarias a comfortable cushion of runs while on the mound. After a couple of shutout innings from Zacarius, the Thunderbirds rallied by putting up a run in the bottom of the third to cut the Tupper lead in half. Pitcher Jacob Lafountain, of the Thunderbirds, threw a great first half of the game until he, ultimately, allowed a streak of three runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Consequently, Jacob was pulled and replaced by reliever Zachary Goree, who would go on to pitch the rest of the outing. Following his one run allowed in the third, starter Jose Zacarius pitched a couple of shutout innings until exiting the hill after the end of the fifth inning. He would finish his start with five strikeouts and eight hits given up. Riverpig relievers Branden Sattenfield, Austin Henson, and Reibel Custodio would follow suit with Zacarius by pitching four combined innings of zero earned runs, five K’s and a minimal two hits allowed. Tupper Lake would go on to take game one of the three game series with a final score of 8-1. Late Tuesday afternoon, game two of the three game sequence was set to take place and both squads, especially Plattsburgh, were looking to solidify a solid performance en route to a second match victory. Limited to a low number of pitchers due to players being called up and availability issues, Thunderbirds manager Sam Quinn-Loeb was forced to make the decision of starting a position player on the mound. With little pitching experience professionally, Darrell Gotz Jr. was faced with the unfamiliar lead role against a Tupper Lake team whose bats had been consistently solid throughout the early portion of the season. Allowing only one run in the top half of the first, an unlikely impressive start by a position player was in the minds of everyone involved. The Thunderbirds would tack on two runs early to help Gotz Jr. continue his start with the momentum leaning their way. Even when it seemed like an improbable outing of position pitching could pay off, the Tupper Lake Riverpigs silenced any hope for said performance by scoring four runs in the top half of the second. The numerous runs scored were spotlighted by a three run homer by Edward Salcedo, his second home run of the series. Ultimately, Darrell Gotz Jr. would pitch five innings for the Thunderbirds, allowing seven hits and seven earned runs as well as six strikeouts. In the start of the bottom of the fifth inning, the Thunderbirds trailed Tupper Lake 7-3 and would need a little magic from their offense. And magic is just what they were granted. The Thunderbirds executed a four run inning to tie the game, headlined by a pair of RBI singles from first baseman Jordan Larson and catcher Alex Rodriguez. Plattsburgh relief pitcher Cody Boydstun entered the game in the sixth inning and pitched lights-out through three innings, going shutout through the eighth. With another run tallied on the score for the T-Birds in the seventh, the Riverpigs trailed 8-7 heading into the ninth, and they needed a little magic themselves if they wished to extend the game further. Drew Thomas and Miguel Molina each provided their Riverpigs team with an RBI to post two runs and to, eventually, take a 9-8 lead with the Thunderbirds due up in the bottom of the ninth inning. Faced with the obstacle of needing one run to tie or several to win, Plattsburgh came up to the plate ready and willing to face the challenge. Shortstop Luis Rojas reached the bases via a base hit single and was on the diamond, representing the tying run. A bloop single to shallow right field by Jordan Larson would score Rojas and force extras in game two. With the international extra innings rule enforced by the Empire Baseball League where a runner starts on second base to begin each half inning, the Thunderbirds and Riverpigs were each given a weapon to help them with the hopes of securing a win. Unfortunately for Tupper Lake, the offense was unable to score a run in the top half of the first, so all Plattsburgh needed was to score the runner from second. Face-to-face with the pressure of winning the game, Thunderbirds third baseman Khie Simms confidently slapped a bunt on the first pitch of the bottom half of the first extra inning. The bunt-and-run would work to perfection, as the runner advanced to third until a throwing error to first base allowed the runner to cruise to home plate and win in walk off fashion. The walk-off bunt pulled off by Khie Simms fastened the Thunderbirds a 10-9 win to even the series at one game a piece. Game three, the final game of the series, occurred on Wednesday, June 23rd and both teams were searching for a series clinch. Game two was an exciting one as the fans and teams witnessed a rare walk-off bunt execute the Thunderbirds to a series tying victory. In the final game, Thunderbirds starting pitcher, Adam Michalesko, threw an astonishing five shutout innings, while, during which, the Thunderbirds barrels would score two runs to take a 2-0 lead heading into the top half of the sixth inning. Adam would end up exiting the game after allowing two runs by the Riverpigs to tie the ball game. He finished with five hits allowed, two earned runs, and one strikeout. Heading into the seventh inning, the game remained tied until Plattsburgh posted two runs to take a 4-2 lead, highlighted by an RBI triple by Brandon Russo. But knowing the Riverpigs, a lead by the opposing team meant nothing but a will to push for a victory. Tupper Lake scored one run in the eighth to cut the Plattsburgh lead to just one run, and they wouldn’t stop there. In the top of the ninth, third baseman Drew Thomas blasted a homerun to tie the game and keep their hopes of clinching the series alive. Later on, critical throwing errors allowed Riverpigs center fielder Killian Bloat to reach home plate and give his team a 5-4 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. Similar to the situation of game two, Plattsburgh needed one run to tie the game, or could win with a couple of heads crossing home plate. One run to go into extras was what they needed, and one run is what they received to force a game extension. Extra innings began and Tupper Lake immediately took charge of the moment by scoring two runs in the top of the tenth inning to take a 7-5 lead. Unfortunately, Plattsburgh was unable to match the performance of their counterpart in the first half of the inning and would fail to score a run, losing the game 7-5. Following the three game set, Plattsburgh fell to third place in the standings with an overall record of 3-6, and the Riverpigs increased their win margin to 7-3 to remain atop the regular season leaderboard. Article by Jack Burgess

TUPPER LAKE, NY – This past weekend, the Saranac Lake Surge traveled to Tupper Lake to take on their cross-lake
rival in a four game series. Prior to the set, the Riverpigs were coming off a series victory
against the New Hampshire Wild while the Surge split wins with the Plattsburgh Thunderbirds
earlier in the week.

For Tupper Lake fans, excitement could not have been at a higher level after watching their
team secure a series win for the first time in over a year. With the Riverpigs documenting
themselves into the win column, momentum was high and the hopes for a second consecutive
series win was in sight.

On the other hand, the Surge were coming off a disappointing game four loss to the
Thunderbirds, so a series win against Tupper Lake would prove to be critical in order to boost
confidence and, ultimately, bolster themselves into becoming a contender.
Even though the turnout of fans for game one was disappointing, baseball and a good matchup
was all the players on both teams could possibly think about. Starting pitcher for the Surge,
Joey Lara, came out firing early, allowing only one run through nearly eight innings pitched to go
along with seven K’s and a minimal three hits.

While the defense of the Surge was proving to be dominant in the early going, the offense was
doing everything they needed to. After a shutout first inning from both squads, the Surge bats started to get going, putting up three runs in the second inning behind a three run RBI double by shortstop Juan Pena. Second baseman AJ Wright provided his team with two doubles while
Kenny Hernandez hit for three singles throughout the course of the game to help boost their
teams’ overall run total to 6.

Even though the defense of the Riverpigs would start to bear down and limit hits while the bats
of TL finally got going in the eighth and ninth innings, the overall game of the Surge became too
difficult to handle as they would steal the first game of the series, 6-2.
Coming off of a loss in game one, the Tupper Lake Riverpigs were eager to secure their first win
of the series.

Following a back-and-forth first couple of innings to start game two, play was seeming to
become a dog fight until the offense of Tupper absolutely exploded in the bottom half of the third
inning. The Riverpigs posted a staggering and eye-catching 14 runs in the third behind an
impressive outing from shortstop Robert Antunez who would tally a total of four hits highlighted
by both a double and a triple to go along with seven total bases and six RBIs.

While it didn’t seem like the bats could possibly equal the efforts of the third, momentum would
not slow as ten more runs would be scored throughout the duration of the game to bolster their
game runs total to a blistering 26.

Ultimately, a complete game wouldn’t be necessary as the Tupper Lake Riverpigs would go on
to run-rule the Surge 26-8 to end the game after seven innings. The fans witnessed a booming
spray chart of hits and dominance while the home team Riverpigs received a much needed
game two victory to even the series with two games to play.

After an unbelievable showing in game two by the Tupper Lake offense, game three seemed as
if it was automatically going to be won by the Pigs. Though, coming off an embarrassing loss,
the Surge looked to silence the hype and take game three. With the series tied at one game a
piece, both cross-town rivals understood the importance of this specific matchup and what they
needed to do in order to have a chance at taking the set lead.

To start the game, the Riverpigs provided the home crowd with a sense of nostalgia by
immediately placing a comfortable five runs on the board in the bottom of the first to take an
early 5-0 lead. Down the stretch of the first half of the game, Tupper Lake would tally four more
runs to put a total of nine runs onto the scoreboard heading into the bottom half of the outing.
Starting pitcher Hector Rovain was impressive in his first few innings, allowing only one run
throughout his first five innings pitched. The Surge would, however, dwindle the Riverpig lead
after posting six total runs in the sixth and seventh innings.

Even when it seemed like Tupper Lake was fixing to give up their lead and slow down, they
continued to make life difficult for the Surge after finishing their final two innings, offensively, with
five runs. The result of game three would end in a 14-10 victory for the Tupper Lake Riverpigs,
securing them their second win of the series and, at worst, a series split with Saranac Lake.
After coming off back-to-back W’s, Tupper Lake was ecstatic to get the final game of the series
underway with a potential series clincher in close reach. The Saranac Lake Surge knew the
pressures they faced after dropping two straight and that a possible 1-3 series loss would
damage their overall standing with the entirety of the league.

The first three innings of game four of the series became a pitching showcase for Riverpigs
starter Jared Dingus after throwing shutout. To provide their pitcher with a cushion, the offense
of Tupper Lake tacked on two runs in the bottom of the first to take a 2-0 lead.

Saranac Lake began to find some momentum behind the plate after putting up a pair of two runs
in innings four and five behind a two run jack by outfielder Brandon Gutzler.

A three run innings in the bottom of the fourth innings would, however, give the Riverpigs the
outright lead. Throughout the course of the rest of the game, pitching and defense highlighted
scoreless innings from the bottom of the fifth on.

Game four would end in a low scoring, 5-4 victory for the Tupper Lake Riverpigs. Following the
game four victory, the Riverpigs would improve to a first place standing of 5-2 thus far in the
season, while Saranac Lake would drop to 2-5 to start the summer

Article by Jack Burgess

Empire  League Media

Tupper Lake, NY – After a season where coronavirus eliminated play in 2020, residents of Tupper Lake and its
neighboring cities were excited for the Empire Baseball League to continue play for this summer
season.

Opening weekend began Saturday, and the showout of fans at Tupper Lake’s Municipal Park to
watch the opening series between the New Hampshire Wild and the home team Riverpigs did
not disappoint as the stadium would sell out quickly.

Following a long week of camps and roster completion, the players for both the Wild and
Riverpigs were fired up and ready to kick off the season with a bang.

New Hampshire Wild starting pitcher Sora Sakashita put on a showing of grit and determination
as he would throw a staggering total of 112 pitches across seven innings summed up by 12
strikeout and 4 earned runs. Reliever and knuckleball phenom Sungmin Choi entered the game
and shut the door, finishing the last two innings without allowing a hit and, ultimately, boosting
his team to a 9-6 victory.

Tupper Lake’s offense would not make the victory an easy feat for the Wild, though, as a
running total of 9 hits were tallied on the board. Riverpigs designated hitter Eduard Salcedo and
shortstop Walner Espinal each had a homerun, giving their team the energy they needed to
fight.

The New Hampshire Wild would prove too powerful, though, securing their first win of the
season.

The second game of the four game series occurred on Sunday, 7 p.m. at Municipal Park. Angry
and disappointed after a game one loss, the Tupper Lake Riverpigs were riled up and ready to
hit the field in hopes of evening the series.

New Hampshire third baseman John Lantigua came into the game firing, blasting a deep
homerun to center field in his first at bat of the showing.

Going into the third inning with a 2-0 lead, the Wild were confident and energetic, but the
Riverpigs spoiled all of the fun after putting up seven unanswered runs throughout the entirety
of the rest of the game to win 7-2. The Riverpig offense was powered by Walner Espinal who
blasted two homeruns, boosting his HR total to three throughout two games.

Game three of the four game set is scheduled to take place Monday night, 7 p.m. at Municipal
Park in Tupper Lake. Both teams will look to enter the win column

Article by Jack Burgess

Empire League Press

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

YORK, PA –  Empire Leagues right handed pitcher Alex Vargas has been moved to the York Revolution of the Atlantic League.

Vargas played for the Empire League Grays in the Interleague games after joining the Saranac Lake Surge in 2019.  He was then traded to the Plattsburgh Thunderbirds where he helped close out the rest of the season and a league Championship.

As a closer, Vargas topped out at 95mph and has reached up to 98mph. He has been moved to the York Revolution of the Atlantic League for the start of the 2021 season.

Article by Empire Media