Stonehill's Trey Ciulla-Hall drove in all three Silver Knight runs in a 7-3 loss to New Britain on Friday night at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – The snap, crackle and pop was loud, the sky above Holman Stadium was lighting up in spectacular fashion.

It was the first Nashua Silver Knights post-game fireworks show of the season, a staple on Friday nights to the delight of 1,148 fans.

But there was no celebration taking place on the field, as Knights manager Kyle Jackson gathered his players despite the noise around them.

His message following a 7-3 loss to the New Britain Bees: Play strategic baseball, like New Britain has in two wins in the last four nights at Holman, in which they pulled away in the late innings for wins.

“They’re making good solid swings, putting the ball in play, not trying to do too much,” Jackson said of the Bees. “Wherever the ball is pitched, they’re going with it.”

It was 3-3 going into the top of the eighth inning when the Bees put up a four-spot to sink Nashua to 1-5 in the FCBL. With two out and a runner on third, Nashua reliever L.T. Pare walked New Britain’s Christian Fagnant. And then Todd Peterson took Pare deep on the next pitch and just like that the Bees stung for a 6-3 lead.

“A four-pitch walk, and a first pitch fastball home run,” Jackson said. “That changes the game.”

The Bees added one more run on a couple of walks, stolen bases and a wild pitch and that was it.

Nashua, meanwhile, managed six hits, and all three runs were driven in by Trey Ciulla-Hall, the first on a groundout in the second and the others on a two-run homer off Bees starter Joe Nemchek in the fourth that gave Nashua 3-2 lead. Early fireworks, but they fizzled. The team is hitting .161, and their 20 runs in six games rank them seventh in the FCBL, ahead of Westfield which has a miniscule eight.

“We battled hard tonight,” Jackson said. “We’re just pressing too much, we’re trying to do too much. Instead of letting things just happen, we’re trying to force the issue.”

Jagger Duquette got the win with 2.1 innings of scoreless relief, attacking the Knights at the plate. He gave up two hits, but struck out three. Teams are pitching the Knights, Jackson said, “to pull, because no one will go the other way.”

Let’s see if that changes the next two games of the homestand, with Norwich back tonight at 6 and Worcester returning for a third Holman appearance Sunday at 3.

“I just had a meeting with them and said ‘It’s time to grow up, it’s time to make those adjustments,'” Jackson said. “The second baseman (New Britain’s Chris Genaro) played behind the bag the whole game. And no one went the other way.

“I can only tell them so many times. If they’re not going to do it, there’s nothing I can do. It’s not my career. … This is a learning thing. If you’re not going to learn anything, then we’ll find someone else to do it.”

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Aidan Crowley (0-0, 5.40) takes the mound tonight, while Atkinson’s Nick Remy (0-1, 6.75) starts Sunday…

In a change from the original schedule of a month ago, Nashua is off both Monday and Tuesday (a game at Pittsfield was moved), and will then host Norwich on Wednesday, the team’s seventh straight home game.