Knights

Sunday, July 30, 2023

By: Dan Allison | Silver Knights media relations

Just hours removed from a resumed game loss in Vermont, the Silver Knights would get their shot at redemption against the Lake Monsters right away with a doubleheader on Sunday. 

Nashua’s two-game afternoon gave the Knights a prime window to gain ground in the FCBL standings, sitting six games back of a playoff spot with just 12 games left on the schedule. Despite the opportunity, the Knights would let it slip with Vermont taking both games 2-1 and 10-0.

While the two games contrast on paper, both outings carried one common theme: Nashua hurting themselves with self-inflicted wounds. 

In game one, errors from the Silver Knights would allow Vermont runs to come across in the second and fourth inning, enough for VT to take it with Nashua silent at the plate.

 In game two, Nashua’s woes would snowball with just about everything going wrong. Vermont posted three in the first and fifth in the third inning, with Nashua throwing nothing but goose eggs on the run column. With two more runs in the sixth, the 10-0 score was enough to shorten the already shortened contest with the Monsters winning in six.

Even with a blowout later in the day, the real heartbreaker for Nashua would come in their first game of the evening. Northeastern’s Michael Gemma, coming off three scoreless outings, looked solid in his ninth appearance of the summer. However, the same could not be said about the defense supporting him.

Rutger’s Trevor Cohen would lead off the second with a walk, as an uncharacteristic error by Eastern Nazarene’s Shane McNamara in right field after a single from Vanderbilt’s Colin Barczi would allow Cohen to score.

Sitting at 1-1 in the fourth, Nashua’s defense would run in trouble once again. An error in center field, a dropped third strike, and a throwing error from behind the plate would bring across another unearned run for the Lake Monsters. Gemma would finish his night with six strikeouts on only one hit, but the Knights had still handed Vermont the lead.

Offense would be a thorn in Nashua’s side for both ballgames, scoring only one run in 14 innings of baseball. Not a single Silver Knight posted an RBI in either game, with the lone run coming across on an error. Five hits in game one and only two in game two hindered any chance at Nashua stealing one from the green and blue.

Following a tough stretch of games against the Lake Monsters, Nashua will try and stop their Vermont funk with one more game in Burlington following the Monday off-day. Vermont and the Silver Knights are set for a 6:35 PM first pitch on Tuesday night.