By Paul Gotham
SYRACUSE, NY — The more things change; the more things stay the same.
Between games of an Opening Day doubleheader at Alliance Bank Stadium, the Syracuse Jr. Chiefs received the plaque commemorating their 2012 New York Collegiate Baseball League championship. The Jr. Chiefs made sure to dismiss all possibilities of complacency.
The lineup has been completely overhauled, but these Jr. Chiefs showed they are ready to pick up where their predecessors left off taking two (7-0, 6-5) from the Sherrill Silversmiths.
A year ago it was Alex Sanchez, Jr (Ave Maria), Frank Salerno (St. Thomas Aquinas) and Zach Lauricella (St. John’s) leading the way. The Jr. Chiefs used a league-leading .344 batting average to rattle off a 28-12 regular season record and an eventual league crown.
Monday, Alex Caruso (St. John’s) and Stanley Susaña (St. Thomas Aquinas) paced the offense while Ryan Clark (North Carolina Greensboro) hurled six shutout frames as Syracuse played the role of the champions they are.
Maybe it’s the uniform.
The Jr. Chiefs host their cross-town rivals, the Syracuse Salt Cats on Tuesday. First pitch at Hopkins Road Park is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Leave a Reply