SARANAC LAKE — After an entire season was moved to Pennsylvania due to COVID-19, the Saranac Lake Surge will get to play their home game here since their debut season in 2019. The home opener for the Surge is against the Plattsburgh Thunderbirds on Thursday at 4 p.m.

“I’m hoping we can step up to the plate and give the community a show,” said Saranac Lake Mayor Clyde Rabideau.

Rabideau hopes that around 50 to 100 people will be in attendance for the home opener.

The Surge has played eight games this season, which have all been on the road. Throughout the season it has faced all three other teams in the Empire Professional Baseball League. The Surge currently sit at third place in the EPBL, meanwhile the Thunderbirds sit at the bottom of the standings.

Familiar faces will be on Saranac Lake’s roster, as Donnell Hightower and Corey Alexander II enter their second year while Kyle Robinson enters his third season the only team member to have previously played in Saranac Lake.

The home opener will be followed by a string of 10 straight home games, which will end on July 4.

Earlier this month the newly founded Tupper Lake Riverpigs played its first ever game in its namesake village, and the game was sold out. The two are expected to become rivals. So far this season the Riverpigs have beaten the Surge three out of the four games.

“The Tupper Lake community has been great, and we hope the Saranac Lake community can come out and support the Surge,” said Rabideau.