Vermont's Anthony Stephan slides into second ahead of the tag by Nashua's Brandon Fish during the Silver Knights' 8-3 loss to the Lake Monsters at Holman Stadium on Wednesday night. Stephan had three hits and five RBIs. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Another meeting, another bad start, another loss.

It’s rinse and repeat for the Nashua Silver Knights in this toughest of seasons as they fell 8-3 to the Vermont Lake Monsters Wednesday night before a Holman Stadium crowd of 596.

And manager Kyle Jackson says that push will likely come to shove, as he painted a realistic picture of his 9-23 team as well as the league’s umpires.

“We haven’t been able to get a big hit,” Jackson said. “Put the ball in play with runners on third. There’s no accountability, I’m repeating myself all the time – and to the team. I had a meeting today about it. It’s OK to not stat chase, and make an out for the team. I’m at my wits end.”

Then Jackson, who won’t manage tonight’s game vs. Brockton at Holman as he’ll be out of town at a wedding, took aim at the umpires. He bolted quickly into the managerial office after the game, skipping his usual post game on field talk with the players and texted the league’s head of the umpires, Rob Healey.

“That (expletive) needs to change because it’s been the whole year,” Jackson said. “It’s bringing down the year. I don’t care if I get fined. When you make pitchers throw down the middle, and when the score is 8-3 and you open up your zone gigantically to get out. …”

Jackson doesn’t have the authority to change the umpires, but he does, in tandem with Knights general manager Cam Cook, to change the team. And they just may.

“These are the kids I have and I love them,” he said. “But they need to change. … I told them today, if things don’t change, the team will change.”

Asked whether or not that would irritate some of the college coaches who sent the players here, Jackson said, “What can they be (mad) about? Here are the stats. If you were in my situation, what would you do? You’re trying to win, and you have bases loaded and no outs and you don’t score, you strike out, strike out, and line out, what’s that doing?”

That happened in the bottom of the sixth with the Lake Monsters (16-17) leading 7-1. Reliever Wyatt Cameron (New England College) came in and fanned Kyle Hannon, Sam McNulty and Lucas Carmichael lined out to short.

Of course, lost in the Silver Knights woes – it’s five straight losses to the Lake Monsters, and four straight after the four rainout break – was the night that Vermont’s Anthony Stephan (Virginia freshman) had, as he drove in five runs while going 3 for 4. Stephan, batting second, hit a solo homer in the top of the first off Knights starter Aidan Crowley. He doubled in two runs in the fourth to send Crowley to the dugout down 5-0, and singled in two runs in the sixth to make it 7-1.

Five of Vermont’s nine hits were for extra bases, including back-to-back first inning doubles by Noah Granet and Brian Schaub after Stephan’s homer to put Nashua in an immediate 2-0 hole in the first.

Nashua managed an RBI single by Kevin Skagerlind in the fifth and took advantage of three hits and a Vermont error in the seventh, with All-Star Brandon Fish singling in a run to make it 7-3. Fish extended his hitting streak to eight games and is by far the team’s best hitter at .351.

On the mound, six Knights pitchers combined to walk nine. But Vermont walked six, bringing the total to 15 for a game that dragged for three hours, 24 minutes.

That certainly prompted Jackson’s umpire rant.

“If the umpires are not good in this league, the league will not go anywhere,” Jackson said, obviously feeling they aren’t good.

And right now, his team clearly isn’t, either.

NEWCOMERS

One of last year’s best Nashua hitters, John Mead of Franklin Pierce, is returning to the team. Mead had a falling out with Jackson while playing in 32 games but the two patched things up. He could provide a spark as he hit .345 with three homers and 15 RBIs in 32 games for the Knights last summer…

Also joining the team were pitchers Matt Bergeron (senior, St. Joe’s of Maine) and Derry’s Phil Diblasi, Jr. (freshman, Northeastern). Bergeron pitched a one-two-three ninth last night…

Pitching coach Ariel Ramos will manage the team tonight. Jackson said he will be back for Friday’s game here vs. Worcester.