Knights

Photo: Kailey Lane/Nashua Silver Knights

In a winning streak full of dominant pitching, Wednesday night in Vermont was no different for the Silver Knights. Nashua’s red hot pitching staff only allowed one hit to the first place Lake Monsters, taking the ballgame up in Burlington 2-0.

Endicott’s Gabe Van Emon led the charge for the Knights, taking the bump with Nashua’s eighth win in a row at stake. Van Emon’s second start of the season wouldn’t be an easy task, taking on 26-9 Vermont.

But while Vermont once seemed untouchable to the Knights, a two-game sweep of the Monsters in their house last week have turned the tides. Finding themselves back in VT, the Knights picked up right where they left off.

Van Emon delivered big for Nashua, giving up only one hit with six strikeouts in five shutout innings. With a big outing from their starter, Nashua was set up for their third straight win against Vermont.

Looking for run support, Nashua got just enough to get the job done. Colby’s Pat McConnell singled to lead off the second. On a series of sloppy plays by Vermont, McConnell was able to come around to score via the “Monster” errors to make it 1-0 early.

Nashua followed up their one run second with another run in the third. Boston College’s Kyle Wolff continued his inferno of a stretch with a double to lead off. Wolff later advanced to third on a passed ball, setting up Eastern Nazarene’s Shane McNamara for a RBI sacrifice fly to make it 2-0 Nashua.

While a 2-0 lead after three seems slim, it was all the Knights needed for the rest of the night. Following Van Emon’s great start, Nashua’s bullpen complemented his outing with four innings of no-hit baseball. URI’s Brandon Hsu, Plymouth State’s Noah Wachter, and Wake Forest’s Will Andrews once again rolled their way to the ninth for SNHU’s George Welch to lock it down. All four pitchers pitched one inning each of no-nonsense baseball, combining for three strikeouts total.

What was once viewed as a liability has now turned into a strength for the Knights, as Nashua’s bullpen and pitching staff has really taken form. Now with eight wins straight, the Silver Knights have gone from an inconsistent squad to a team that has forgotten how to lose.

Nashua will be back in action tomorrow night, opening up a two-game home stretch against Vermont. With the Lake Monsters looking for revenge, the Knights will seek their ninth win in a row. First pitch will be at 6:00 PM at Historic Holman Stadium.