Knights

Saturday, May 25, 2024

By: Dan Allison | Silver Knights media relations

After a beautiful opening night for baseball on Friday, Historic Holman Stadium filled up once again as Knights fans were eager for the one thing the home opener left behind: a victory. Nashua welcomed in New Britain for a two-game homestand to finish out the weekend, starting with a 6:00 PM first pitch on Saturday. 

Stonehill’s Braydon Gray delivered on the bump in his first start, but the New Britain pitching staff was too much for the Knights to handle in a 4-1 loss.

Eastern Connecticut’s Dylan Scudder stole the show with six innings of scoreless baseball for the Bees. Scudder tossed five strikeouts on only three hits, earning the win in his first appearance for his hometown team.

Gray, who logged 36 innings for the Knights last season, had an outing of his own as well. Gray tossed five scoreless on four hits with four punchouts, battling with Scudder throughout the early frames. 

Scoreless through five, both teams tried to get to the opposition’s bullpen to try and open the scoring. Nashua went to their relievers first, and the Bees went on to capitalize. Holy Cross’s John LaFleur lead the sixth off with a double, setting up UCONN’s Brett Davino to double him in to score.

New Britain’s offense was awake, following up the sixth with a three spot in the seventh. SUNY Maritime’s Freddy Forgione posted an RBI double before LaFleur would cash in on his second RBI of the night to make it 4-0.

For Nashua, the offense showed signs of life following the 4-0 hole. UMass Lowell’s River Hart walked to lead off the inning with Albany’s Derek Finlay doubling to move him over. Siena’s Jeff Valdez brought Hart home on a sacrifice fly to get the Knights on the board.

In a form of deja vu, Hart and Finlay would both get aboard to set up runners on the corners with one out in the ninth. Nashua’s fans' eyes widened at the opportunity, bringing the tying run to the plate. A quick out number two would hurt the Knights’ chances, with the game ending on a strikeout for the second night in a row. 

Glimpses of offense and defense throughout the weekend have the Knights hopeful. Now sitting at 0-2, the Knights are eager to salvage the weekend with what feels like a “must-win” on Sunday. 

First pitch versus the Bees on Sunday is set for 3:00 PM at Historic Holman Stadium. Visit https://nashuasilverknights.com/home/ or call the office at 603-718-8883 for tickets tomorrow or any future home games. Can’t make it out to the stadium? Watch the Silver Knights at home or on the go at https://fcblnetwork.com/NashuaSK/ and follow us on social media to track scores and updates.