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Riverpigs win Empire Baseball League title

The Tupper Lake Riverpigs pose for a photo after claiming the Empire League championship at the Tupper Lake Municipal Park on Sunday. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

TUPPER LAKE — It only took three years, but the Tupper Lake Riverpigs are finally the Empire Baseball League Champions.

The Riverpigs capped off a great season by walking away with the Empire League Championship Series title after defeating the Plattsburgh Thunderbirds 5-4 in a winner-take-all Game 5 matchup at the Tupper Lake Municipal Park on Sunday.

“That’s what we’ve been trying to achieve for the last three years and we finally got it done,” Tupper Lake Riverpigs manager Jonathan Albaladejo said. “It’s definitely a good achievement for me personally and for the guys and the Tupper Lake community. I’m very happy and very proud that we got this done.”

Sean Guida, who joined the Riverpigs right before the playoffs after playing the regular season with the Japan Islanders, hit the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning on an RBI sacrifice fly out to center field.

“The catcher was throwing me in for the majority of my at-bats and I know that he was getting away with a lot of inside pitches,” Guida said. “So I figured that I would try to take that away. It was a 3-1 count so I tried to force the ball up and into the air and get the SAC fly.”

Tupper Lake Riverpigs’ Hector Martinez trots the bases immediately following his three-run home run in the first inning. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

Guida, who finished the series with more than eight hits, was named the Empire League Championship Series Most Valuable Player.

“Being named MVP is awesome. It’s nice to have some type of recognition for the stuff that I did,” Guida said. “But it’s not just me, it’s one through nine in the line-up and then every single pitcher that threw. It’s not just me. It’s a team game. MVP is a little bit overrated in my opinion for someone to give the label of because it takes all of us to win.”

Even before Guida’s presence, Tupper Lake appeared to be the clear-cut best team in the Empire League. The squad even finished the regular season as the only Empire League team above the .500 win mark.

If dominance wasn’t enough, the Riverpigs had momentum as they entered the playoffs on an eight-game win streak that started before the all-star break. Tupper Lake seemed nearly unstoppable heading into the championship series.

But that’s not always how it goes during the playoffs.

Tupper Lake Riverpigs’ Jordan Warecke pitches during Sunday’s Empire League Championship Series Game 5 matchup against the Plattsburgh Thunderbirds at the Tupper Lake Municipal Park. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

In a wild back-and-forth championship series that saw everything from walk-offs, home runs and even an umpire quitting, the Riverpigs found themselves in uncharted territory after dropping Game 4 of the series to force the winner-take-all matchup. The loss was their second of the postseason after dropping just seven games all season.

Poised to not blow a 2-1 series lead, the Riverpigs’ Hector Martinez sent the fans at Municipal Park on Sunday roaring when he cracked a three-run home run to center field in just the first inning.

“His first pitch was a breaking ball and he missed it so he was looking for a fastball,” said Albaladejo, translating for Martinez. “In his head, he was thinking if you get it don’t miss it. Be ready for it. He got the pitch and he was able to get good wood on the bat and the ball left the yard.”

The Thunderbirds, however, were able to inch closer to the lead after they scored two runs in the top of the second inning. Despite the two runs momentum still stayed with the Riverpigs.

While Game 5 started out great for Tupper Lake as they held a 3-2 lead through six innings, things quickly took a turn for the worst when the Thunderbirds’ Katsuya Arai hit an RBI double to tie the game in the top of the seventh.

The Tupper Lake Riverpigs celebrate after winning the Empire League championship at the Tupper Lake Municipal Park on Sunday. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

With just one out in the inning, the Thunderbirds then took the 4-3 lead after Arai scored, following a single from Olivber Moreno.

The Riverpigs’ second baseman Walner Espinal, who quickly became a fan favorite after he hit the first-ever Riverpigs home run at the Tupper Lake Municipal Park field in 2021, got his team out of the jam when he fielded a ball, touched second base and made a throw to first for the double play.

While slowly losing momentum, the Riverpigs started the bottom half of the seventh with two straight outs. Tupper Lake’s next batter, Martinez, was able to reach first base after getting hit by a pitch, which sent Espinal up to bat.

Espinal then smoked the ball into the outfield gap, driving in Martinez for the game-tying RBI double.

“He was looking for the fastball and he finally threw it,” said Albaladejo, translating for Espinal. “He got it and he didn’t miss it. He was able to put good wood on it and the ball was able to land between the two outfielders for the RBI double.”

Tupper Lake Riverpigs’ Walner Espinal makes a throw to first base during Sunday’s Empire League Championship Series Game 5 matchup against the Plattsburgh Thunderbirds at the Tupper Lake Municipal Park. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

After Tupper Lake held Plattsburgh scoreless in the top of the eighth inning, third-year Riverpigs player Brandon “Bam Bam” Camargo led off the inning with a bang. Camargo cracked the ball into the outfield for a double.

“I was just seeing fastball, bringing it in close,” Camargo said. “I was just staying inside the ball and just driving it. It was literally a movie.”

Julian Hunt, a speedy infielder, replaced Camargo as the pinch runner.

“Honestly it feels amazing,” Camargo said. “This is my last game and I’m retiring after this one and it’s a great ending to a career. I spent four years in the league.”

The decision to sub in a pinch runner for Camargo worked in favor of the Riverpigs as Hunt was immediately able to advance to third base following a wild pitch. Then Guida finished off the game with the SAC fly.

Albaladejo said he never doubted his team’s ability to come back.

“We’ve been playing good baseball all year, so I think it was just a matter of taking good at-bats and getting their starter deep into counts and trying to get them (the pitcher) out of there as quickly as possible,” Albaladejo said. “He still ended up going into the seventh, so kudos to him. He did a good job but at the end of the day we’re able to pull it off.”

The Riverpigs’ relief pitcher, Jose Mieses, recorded the final out of the game when he made a pop fly just outside the foul territory and immediately the celebration began with Tupper Lake fans and players alike.

Camargo said the Tupper Lake fans have been amazing.

“They treated us very well. They took care of us,” Camargo said. “It’s the best fan base in the league. I’m just thankful every day for them.”

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