Knights

Nashua’s start to the week was one they were looking to forget. A tough blown lead in the ninth and tenth, which led to a loss in Norwich, had the Silver Knights looking ahead to their first meeting with the Worcester Bravehearts. After a day off and two postponements, Friday was the Knights’ first shot at getting back on track.

Worcester and Nashua battled back and forth, with the Knights grabbing a 3-2 lead in the eighth. Six outs away from their second win, the Knights' pitching staff ran into trouble late in the game with the Bravehearts posting a six-run bottom of the eighth in their eventual 8-3 victory.

Nashua has held a lead in the eighth inning in three of their first five games, with all three ending in losses. Now officially a week into the season, this competitive Knights team looks to solve their bullpen woes.

Lehigh’s Andrew Noone took center stage for the Nashua lineup, going 3-4 as the Knights’ designated hitter. Colby’s Derek Woods made his first start of the season, going a solid five innings with two earned runs on four hits. Keene State’s Tommy Ahlers swiped two bags along with one hit. Ahlers’ performance brought his stolen base total to seven, making him the league leader after one week of play. 

Penn State’s Will Perkowski and Vanderbilt’s Aiden O’Connell made their summer debuts out of the bullpen on Friday. O’Connell struck out three in his scoreless frame with the two combining for two hitless innings.

After adding one in the eighth, Nashua turned to Sacred Heart’s Jake Wiberg to try and push the game to the ninth. Wiberg walked two, only recording one out before being relieved. UMass Lowell’s Andres Hulfachor looked to salvage the inning with the go-ahead run aboard.

Hulfachor and the Knights ran into issues quickly, with the floodgates opening into a big six-run inning for Worcester. Nashua could not get something going in the ninth, giving the Bravehearts the win and putting the Knights at 1-4.

With plenty of baseball coming up to try and rewrite their wrongs, the Silver Knights will head to Westfield tomorrow before returning home for a Sunday matchup with the Lake Monsters. Nashua and the Starfires are set for a 6:30 PM first pitch on Saturday.