News
Knights Take the Crown(Nashua, NH): No one will forget the 2020 FCBL season for many reasons: The 10 th anniversary season for both the FCBL and Silver Knights, COVID-19 nearly sidelining the season altogether
by forcing teams to take strict safety measures, a 3-game TV broadcast deal with NESN, and the
second game 3 in FCBL Championship history which turned out to be an instant classic. The
Silver Knights claimed their league-leading fifth title on Saturday night at Holman Stadium with
a 5-3 win over Worcester in the winner-take-all showdown.
Nashua again had a big first inning, this time as the visiting team on the scoreboard. Dylan
Jones (Franklin Pierce) hit a 3-run home run with 2 outs to give Nashua the early edge in a
series where runs were at a premium. Worcester would answer quickly off Nashua starter Pat
Harrington (Assumption) when Matt Shaw (Maryland) hit yet another leadoff home run for the
Bravehearts, to cut the lead to 3-1. In the second, the Hearts scored another when after Aidan
Wilde (Stonehill) walked and Joe Pesce (NYIT) singled, moving Wilde to third, Shaw grounded
into an RBI fielder’s choice that scored Wilde.
The next 6 innings were scoreless for both sides, highlighted by strong pitching from the
starters and bullpens for each team. The Nashua pen of Jack Dicenso (Nichols), Gabe Driscoll
(Binghamton), Chris Chaney (Maryland), and Brandon Dufault (Northeastern) combined for
4.1IP, 4H, 1ER, 3BB, and 7K. The Silver Knights pitching turned out to be the story of the series,
although they had been known for their explosive offense in the regular season.
In the 8 th , the Knights would add another run as Kyle Bouchard (Nichols) took the first pitch of
the inning to the base of the right field wall for a stand-up double. He would move to 3 rd on a
Jones groundout, before scoring on a Ben Rounds (Harvard) RBI single to left field. The Knights
would add their final run in the 9 th on a Bouchard SAC fly that scored Troy Schreffler (Maryland).
Worcester added their final run in the 9 th on a Ben Rice RBI single.
Bouchard was named the MVP of the series, collectively going 5-11 with a 2B, HR, and 5RBI,
while also scoring 3R, 1BB, and 1K. Bouchard supplied 5 of Nashua’s 11 runs in the series.
Gabe Driscoll picked up the win in game 3 for Nashua, going 1.1IP, only giving up 1 hit, while
striking out 3. Jack Steele was tagged with the loss for the Hearts. He gave up 3ER on 4H, 2BB,
and 6K in 4 innings of work. DU\ufault picked up the save for the Silver Knights.
After losing the opening game 3-2, the Knights became the first team in FCBL history to come
back and win the final 2 games of the championship series. All three games of the series did not
disappoint as great pitching, fielding, and timely offense was on display. The Silver Knights
players, coaches, and staff members will receive championship rings at a ceremony to take
place at a later date in Nashua. Thank you to the community, fans, and FCBL for making this
season possible. |
Stay Connected