Nashua infielder Carmelo Mussachia looks to tag out Norwich's Doougie DelaCruz during the first inning of Wednesday night's FCBL game at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – The words were loud and clear following the post game meeting for the Nashua Silver Knights on Wednesday night.

“Let’s start another streak,” one of them shouted as the huddle broke up.

Yes, all good things must come to an end, as the Silver Knights winning streak ended with a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Norwich Sea Unicorns at Holman Stadium.

To do that, the Knights will have to get some more timely hitting and make key defensive plays in key situations. The Unicorns scored two unearned runs in the top of the ninth to disappoint an announced crowd of 871 on a chilly night.

Nashua was trying to nurse a 1-0 lead that came on a Pat McConnell solo homer in the second of revved up Norwich starter Connor Podeszwa, and nearly pulled it off, leading by that margin going into the eighth.

“You can’t expect to go into a game and expect to win 1-0,” Nashua manager Kyle Jackson said. “You’ve got to put up more runs. … But they (his players) played well. This was a tough one.”

That was about the only disappointment, because Nashua pitching, boosted by four scoreless from an under-the-weather starter Josh Roberge, only allowed six hits and only Norwich’s game-tying run in the eighth was earned.

But to Jackson’s point, the Knights (9-14) left the bases loaded in the third and runners on second and third in the fourth. Then Sea Unicorns pitching, which recorded 14 strikeouts, took over, holding them to just one hit, that coming in the ninth when they also left the tying runs aboard against winning pitcher Andrew Gatland.

“There were two times we didn’t get the two-out hit when we needed it,” Jackson said. “He (Podeszwa) started going heavy on his curve ball first pitch a lot, and we just didn’t make the adjustment.”

Thus it was a tenuous lead. Reliever Brandon Hsu struck out the side in the seventh but in the eighth he walked the Unicorns’ Ben Jerome leading off and gave up a one out hit to Alex Irizarry sending Jerome to third.

Enter reliever Noah Wachter, and Irizarry looked picked off trying to steal second and still made it as he beat the throw. That was huge as Jerome scored the game-tying run on a grounder to second.

That was one missed defensive opportunity. The other was when Nashua shortstop Carmelo Musschia, perhaps distracted when a ground went just past Knights fourth pitcher George Welch, had the ball go under his glove for a leadoff error.

Pinch runner George Leonzi stole second and eventually scored on a C.J. Willis single up the middle for the go-ahead run, 2-1. Jared Zimbardo’s ground out plated the third run.

The Knights, who enjoyed a walk-off win on Tuesday, showed fight in the ninth as Jake Cooper drew a two-out walk and Jack McDermott singled to center. But Gatland wrapped up three innings of scoreless relief by strking out Will McLean to end it.

Besides the strikeouts, the other glaring stat were the nine Norwich stolen bases.

“It was a good game, good pitching on both sides,” Jackson said. “They got the hits, and it was a tough error.”

Thus, a good streak comes to an end.

“Start another one tomorrow,” Jackson said, his team headed to Pittsfield before returning home for a three weekend games beginning Friday night.

Nashua Silver Knights starter Josh Roberge delivers a pitch early on in Wednesday night’s game vs. Norwich at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

FCBL ISSUES ORDER

Last night’s game featured some early jawing between Roberge, who waved bye to the Unicorns dugout after one inning, and Podeszwa was also showing emotion in Nashua’s direction. And this after a Tuesday night in which the Knights were jacked up standing in front of the dugout during their game-winning rally.

What’s going on?

“No idea,” Jackson said. “But now the whole league just got hit with (an edict) that everyone’s in the dugout. So that just adds fuel to the fire, they can’t be out there to sit.”