Chiefs drop opener to RailRiders

The Syracuse Chiefs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, dropped their season opener, 4-1, to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Thursday afternoon from NBT Bank Stadium. Syracuse's bullpen fired four scoreless innings, but five RailRiders pitchers held the Chiefs in check throughout the game.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (1-0) struck first in the opening inning against Chiefs left-hander Danny Rosenbaum. Jose Pirela and Scott Sizemore began the game with singles, and Pirela scored on a ground-ball double play by Zoilo Almonte for a 1-0 lead.

The RailRiders added to their tally in the fourth. First baseman Russ Canzler started the frame with a double to center field and advanced on a throwing error by Brian Goodwin. Three batters later, right fielder Ramon Flores lobbed a triple to the right-field corner to score Canzler.

In the fifth inning, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre doubled its advantage. With two runners on base, Zoilo Almonte reached on a missed-catch error by first baseman Tyler Moore, scoring Zelous Wheeler for a 3-0 RailRiders lead. Canzler followed with an RBI double to left field for the game's fourth run.

Syracuse (0-1) finally plated a run in the bottom of the frame. After a leadoff single by third baseman Brandon Laird, catcher Jhonatan Solano drilled a line-drive double to center field, advancing Laird to third base. Left fielder Eury Perez followed with an RBI single, putting the Chiefs on the board. Solano, however, was erased at home plate on a fly out to right field by Will Rhymes.

Syracuse and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre resume their four-game series on Friday night at 5:00 at NBT Bank Stadium. The game is the first Fireworks Friday of the year, presented by Coca-Cola. Chiefs right-hander Taylor Hill and RailRiders right-hander Chase Whitley are the scheduled starters.