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<p>MOOSIC &#8212; Ideally, Luis Cessa would have liked to have started his 2017 campaign with the New York Yankees.</p><p>But after a trying spring training &#8212; a 6.20 ERA and 13 hits in 9.2 innings &#8212; Cessa was assigned to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and he was going to make the best of it. That started Monday.</p><p>The righty was a force for the RailRiders as the defending International League and Triple-A champs won their first game of the season, shutting out the Lehigh Valley IronPigs 2-0 in the home opener.</p><p>&#8220;I think I&#8217;ll have my chance (in New York), maybe not now but after, so I&#8217;m going to keep working for when they call me again,&#8221; Cessa said. &#8220;I&#8217;m going to stay ready and however long I stay in Triple-A, in Scranton, I want to win.&#8221;</p><p>One day after a doubleheader in Buffalo, a pair of games which the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre starters last just 8.2 innings, the RailRiders needed a lengthy effort from Cessa. He delivered.</p><p>Cessa went seven strong innings &#8212; pitching through a tight calf which occurred after a come-backer hit him in the top of the third &#8212; allowing six hits and a pair of walks while striking out six batters. He&#8217;s just the second RailRiders starter to pitch a shutout. The other was Joe Mantiply, who went 2.2 innings on Sunday.</p><p>&#8220;The bullpen got a rest. We played a game Saturday and we used the bullpen a little bit and the doubleheader (Sunday), definitely we went into the bullpen,&#8221; Pedrique said. &#8220;It was huge for Cessa to give us as many innings as he did tonight.&#8221;</p><p>Things started clicking at the plate for the RailRiders in the bottom of the fifth.</p><p>With IronPigs starter Mark Appel dealing early, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre third baseman Donovan Solano started the train with a lead-off walk and was bunted to second by outfielder Mason Williams. That was followed up by an RBI double to the center field wall by shortstop Ruben Tejada and an RBI single by first baseman Ji-Man Choi, and the RailRiders took control 2-0.</p><p>&#8220;A good opportunity to get an RBI. I got a big hit to start the big win today,&#8221; Tejada said. &#8220;We figured we&#8217;re playing good baseball, so we have to keep doing the same.&#8221;</p><p>However, the RailRiders weren&#8217;t in the clear from there. Cessa got into some trouble in the top of the seventh as he started to run out of gas.</p><p>IronPigs left fielder Dylan Cozens got things going with a single to center. After a walk to first baseman Rhys Hoskins, Lehigh Valley had men on first and second with no outs and was threatening for the first time. But a 1-4-6-3 double play was turned on a Nick Williams grounder that grazed Cessa and ended with Cozens standing on third with two outs.</p><p>Nearing the 80-pitch mark, Cessa walked the next batter &#8212; Taylor Featherston &#8212; on five pitches and earned a visit from Pedrique. But instead of pulling Cessa, Pedrique left him in and was rewarded. The righty forced a 6-4 fielder&#8217;s choice.</p><p>&#8220;The way he was going inning by inning, I just wanted to find out if he had enough for one more hitter,&#8221; Pedrique said. &#8220;At some point I think it&#8217;s good to give them that kind of confidence and for us, to find out the makeup of the players in that situation, when the game&#8217;s on the line. Figure out and find out who can handle it and he showed us in that situation that he&#8217;s the guy.&#8221;</p><p>Ben Heller and Ernesto Frieri shut down the IronPigs over the next two innings as the pair combined for three strikeouts. Heller earned a hold while Frieri picked up his first save of the season.</p><p><strong>Montgomery wins Yankees job</strong></p><p>Even before the RailRiders took the field for their home opener, starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery already knew his 2017 stint with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre would end before it even started.</p><p>New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi announced that Montgomery had won the No. 5 starter job for the big league club. Instead of starting for the RailRiders on Tuesday, he will make his Yankees debut on Wednesday.</p><p>&#8220;I gave him the news when we were on the field. We were at batting practice and I talked to him and he was very excited to have the opportunity,&#8221; Pedrique said. &#8220;My favorite saying in baseball, &#8216;You never know, anything can happen. You have a uniform on and anything can change in a heartbeat if you open their eyes and they&#8217;re the right people that you open the eyes of, anything can change.&#8217; We&#8217;re very happy for him.&#8221;</p><p>Chad Green, who was also in contention for the Yankees&#8217; fifth starter role, will start in Montgomery&#8217;s place Tuesday.</p><p>The Yankees also optioned lefty reliever Chasen Shreve to the RailRiders following Monday&#8217;s game.</p><p><strong>New role for Rodriguez</strong></p><p>With Kyle Higashioka up in the Bronx to take over the backup catcher role with Gary Sanchez on the 10-day DL, veteran catcher Eddy Rodriguez is getting a shot at more playing time.</p><p>Austin Romine takes over the starting job for the Yankees and the RailRiders called up Wilkin Castillo from Double-A Trenton to take Higashioka&#8217;s roster spot. Sanchez is expected to be out four weeks recovering from a Grade 1 strain of a muscle behind his right biceps.</p><p>&#8220;On a personal note, it&#8217;s obviously an opportunity for me to get some consistent minutes,&#8221; Rodriguez said. &#8220;It&#8217;s kind of crazy though because I&#8217;ve developed a close relationship with Romine, with Gary and with Higgy, so when things like that happen, it&#8217;s bittersweet. It&#8217;s always tough. I don&#8217;t like to see them go down, especially with the future that Gary has. The only thing I can do is keep doing my job. My job over a two-day period changed. My goal is to do my job and be the best at it. If I&#8217;m called upon, I&#8217;ll be there.&#8221;</p><p>Pedrique said after the game that the team would alternate catchers for now.</p><p><strong>RailRiders 2, IronPigs 0</strong></p><p><strong>IronPigs`AB`R`H`HR`BI</strong></p><p>Perkins cf`4`0`1`0</p><p>Crawford ss`4`0`1`0</p><p>Alfaro c`4`0`1`0</p><p>Cozens lf`4`0`1`0</p><p>Hoskins 1b`3`0`1`0</p><p>Williams rf`3`0`0`0</p><p>Featherston 3b`2`0`0`0</p><p>Gomez dh`3`0`0`0</p><p>Valentin 2b`3`0`1`0</p><p><strong>Totals`30`0`6`0</strong></p><p><strong>RailRiders`AB`R`H`BI</strong></p><p>Wade 2b`4`0`2`0</p><p>Frazier lf`3`0`0`0</p><p>Fowler dh`4`0`0`0</p><p>Refsnyder rf`3`0`0`0</p><p>Solano 3b`2`1`0`0</p><p>Williams cf`2`0`0`0</p><p>Tejada ss`2`1`1`1</p><p>Choi 1b`3`0`1`1</p><p>Rodriguez c`3`0`0`0</p><p><strong>Totals 26`2`4`2`.211</strong></p><p>E: Appel (1, pickoff). LOB: IronPigs 5, RailRiders 4. DP: IronPigs 1, RaiLRiders 3. 2B: IronPigs Hoskins (2), Tejada (1). 3B: Crawford (1).</p><p><strong>IronPigs`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO</strong></p><p>Appel (L, 0-1)`4.2`4`2`2`3`2</p><p>Ramos`1.1`0`0`0`0`1</p><p>Beato`2.0`0`0`0`0`3</p><p><strong>RailRiders`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO</strong></p><p>Cessa (W, 1-0)`7.0`6`0`0`2`6</p><p>Heller (H, 1)`1.0`0`0`0`0`2</p><p>Frieri (S, 1)`1.0`0`0`0`0`1</p><p>WP: Cessa, Luis</p><p>Umpires: Ryan Additon, HP; Jeremie Rehak, 1B; Adam Beck, 3B.</p><p>T: 2:17. Att: 11,515</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders right fielder Rob Refsnyder gets under a ball hit by Lehigh Valley&#8217;s Taylor Featherston during the fifth inning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener5_faa.jpg</photo0><caption0>Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders right fielder Rob Refsnyder gets under a ball hit by Lehigh Valley&#8217;s Taylor Featherston during the fifth inning. </caption0><photoCredit0>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener6_fa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders&#8217; Clint Frazier sits in the dugout. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener6_fa.jpg</photo1><caption1>Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders&#8217; Clint Frazier sits in the dugout. </caption1><photoCredit1>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener8_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Tyler Wade dives back to first base. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener8_faa.jpg</photo2><caption2>Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Tyler Wade dives back to first base. </caption2><photoCredit2>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener9_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Lehigh Valley&#8217;s J.P.Crawford is safe at third base as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Donovan Solano is late with the tag in the sixth inning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener9_faa.jpg</photo3><caption3>Lehigh Valley&#8217;s J.P.Crawford is safe at third base as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Donovan Solano is late with the tag in the sixth inning. </caption3><photoCredit3>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener7_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders starting pitcher Luis Cessa went seven strong innings of shutout baseball during Monday&#8217;s home operner against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at PNC Field. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener7_faa.jpg</photo4><caption4>Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders starting pitcher Luis Cessa went seven strong innings of shutout baseball during Monday&#8217;s home operner against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at PNC Field. </caption4><photoCredit4>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener5_faaCMYK.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders right fielder Rob Refsnyder gets under a ball hit by Lehigh Valley&#8217;s Taylor Featherston during the fifth inning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener5_faaCMYK.jpg</photo5><caption5>Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders right fielder Rob Refsnyder gets under a ball hit by Lehigh Valley&#8217;s Taylor Featherston during the fifth inning. </caption5><photoCredit5>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener6_faaCMYK.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders&#8217; Clint Frazier sits in the dugout. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener6_faaCMYK.jpg</photo6><caption6>Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders&#8217; Clint Frazier sits in the dugout. </caption6><photoCredit6>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit6></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener7_faaCMYK.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders starting pitcher Luis Cessa went seven strong innings of shutout baseball during Monday&#8217;s home operner against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at PNC Field. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo7>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener7_faaCMYK.jpg</photo7><caption7>Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders starting pitcher Luis Cessa went seven strong innings of shutout baseball during Monday&#8217;s home operner against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at PNC Field. </caption7><photoCredit7>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit7></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener8_faaCMYK.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Tyler Wade dives back to first base. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo8>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener8_faaCMYK.jpg</photo8><caption8>Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Tyler Wade dives back to first base. </caption8><photoCredit8>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit8></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener9_faaCMYK.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Lehigh Valley&#8217;s J.P.Crawford is safe at third base as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Donovan Solano is late with the tag in the sixth inning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo9>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_opener9_faaCMYK.jpg</photo9><caption9>Lehigh Valley&#8217;s J.P.Crawford is safe at third base as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Donovan Solano is late with the tag in the sixth inning. </caption9><photoCredit9>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit9></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Righty pitches 7 innings in RailRiders&#8217; win</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By DJ Eberle</p><p>djeberle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach DJ Eberle at 570-991-6398 or on Twitter @ByDJEberle</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Luis Cessa rises to the occassion as SWB RailRiders win home opener