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Silver Knights get the bats booming again over Norwich

By Tom King - Staff Writer | Jul 22, 2021

Norwich infielder Tremayne Cobb waits to slap the tag on the Silver Knights' sliding Kevin Skagerlind during the first inning of Wednesday's 11-4 Nashua win at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Yes, those big nights at the plate you see in the box score or recaps that the Nashua Silver Knights have been putting up on the road are no myth.

They finally proved they can do it at home, too.

After bludgeoning Worcester 11-4 on the road on Tuesday, the Knights returned to Holman Stadium and did the same thing to the Norwich Sea Unicorns by the identical score before a crowd of 804.

Nashua’s only other blowout win at home was 12-3 over these same Sea Unicorns back on June 5.

“It’s good to get a win at home,”Jackson said. “We’ve lost a lot of one run games at home that are close, we’re leaving the tying runs on second or third with two outs. It’s nice to get these guys to show the fans we can do it at home, not just away.”

And they did just that, putting up 13 hits, giving them a whopping 24 hits the last two nights. Nashua’s Nick Perkins went 2 for 3 with two doubles and four RBIs, while catcher Greg Bozzo went 3 for 3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Kevin Skagerlind and Brandon Fish had two hits apiece.

“We’ve really been focusing on doing more jobs lately,” Perkins said. “And runners on base, all you’ve got to do is put it play, get ’em in, lead to the next guy. Just one guy after another.”

It was that way in the second inning, when the team sent 10 to the plate in putting up six runs off Norwich starter Brad Lombardi. After a Pat Casserly RBI single to tie the game at 1, Perkins slammed a 2-2 pitch from Lombardi over the head of center fielder Jared Zimbardo to drive in a pair and give Nashua the lead for good at 3-1.

“He had just missed changeup,” Perkins said. “And he kept trying to beat me with the fastball, so I just sat fastball and got it.”

Skagerlind doubled in a pair and Fish had an RBI single and the Knights led 6-1 and never looked back.

“Look at the at bats we’re having,” Jackson said. “They’re seeing deep counts, putting themselves in good hitters counts, taking good swings and not trying to do too much.”

It’s basically now or never for this team, now 15-27 and fighting to save its season.

“I think I said it before, once the hitters and pitchers all come together and they do it in the same game, things are going to happen,” Jackson said. “It’s a big win for us. Every team’s ahead of us, so for us, any team that we beat, we’re gaining.”

Jackson doesn’t want to get too excited, but he knows with 26 games left, if the Knights put a long win streak together, they can make some surprising noise. That makes tonight’s game at Holman vs. Worcester a fairly important one – believe it or not. Nashua is five games behind the 21-22 Bravehearts, who hold the fourth and final playoff spot, in the loss column.

“This week’s big for us,” Jackson said. “Worcester is in fourth, Norwich is close to us. … They’re believing. That’s the big thing. Every kid is believing they can put zeros up (on the mound), and hit the ball, and score runs.”

“We’ve got a great group of guys,” Perkins said. “We never got our heads down once at all. … We can still win, we have to prove it now.”

Nashua got a good start from Jake Thibault, who threw five innings allowing three runs on six hits but one was unearned.

“Thibault threw well,” Jackson said. “He came in, made them put the ball in play. That’s the big thing. We lessened the walks tonight (just two). If the pitchers keep throwing strikes, I don’t care if we give up 10 hits. It’s the runs. Minimize.”

Jackson hasn’t washed his road pants after the team has won their three away from Holman by a combined 37-10 tally.

“Now I can start my streak at home,” he said.

TIDS AND BITS

Nashua third baseman Connor Hujsak missed his second straight game after having a dental procedure done on Monday. Jackson said it will probably be a couple of days, likely by the weekend, when he’s back in the lineup…

That won’t be the case with first baseman Dylan O’Sullivan, who got the verdict on his knee injury suffered Saturday: a slight tear of the MCL, which would mean a couple weeks of rehab. Jackson said, hinting that it might mean the end of his season…

CORRECTION: To correct an earlier note, yes, the Vermont Lake Monsters are the new FCBL consecutive win streak record holder with 14, as Vermont’sChris Brown hit a walkoff grand slam Wednesday night vs. Brockton in the first game of a doubleheader that was not posted on the league scoreboard on its website.

Vermont went 14-0 after going 3-11 in their previous 14 games. The Monsters eclipsed Nashua’s record of 13 straight set in a title year of 2012.

The bid for 15 ended on Wednesday with a 5-2 loss to the Rox in the nightcap.