Nashua Silver Knights' Will MacLean slides in safely at second, just ahead of the tag by Westfield's Nathan Lincoln during Wednesday night's game at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – There was something different about Noah Wachter on Wednesday night at Holman Stadium.

A comfortable 4-0 Nashua Silver Knights lead over Westfield had turned into 4-3 and disaster was looming, while sheets of rain seemingly out of nowhere began blowing across the field.

Wachter had struggled out of the bullpen of late, and this was a high leverage situation. But with the tying run at first and two out, Wachter with some great velocity struck out the Starfires’ Jack Wentworth to preserve the 4-3 win before what was left of a crowd of 1,216, many of whom ran to the back concourse to avoid the rain.

“I’d been honestly thinking about the last couple of outings,” Wachter said. “I just told myself to go out there, try and do what you can, let the ball be put in play, I have a great defense behind me. If I can make my pitches compete, then my teammates will do the same thing, compete behind me.

“It was great to get back out there, get a little confidence back, get the team a win. … This was a good day. Everything felt right.”

It was a win the 12-17 Knights really needed, since they’re next faced with back to back nights in Burlington, Vt.against the FCBL’s best team, the Vermont Lake Monsters.

And it was a save Wachter needed. He came in after fellow reliever Brandon Hsu gave up consecutive triples to see the lead dwindle to 4-2, and after Wachter fanned Pat D’Amico with smoke, saw Gunnar Johnson reach on a throwing error as the potential tying run.

No problem.

“I said it right when we finished to (coach Spencer) Bergeron, maybe that’s the confidence he needs,” Nashua manager Kyle Jackson said. “Here you go, we need you to just pump strikes. And there’s the rain and the wind and everything, it’s a crap situation. But I think the years that he’s been here and how old he is, I think that helped him. Good, I’m happy for him. He needed it.”

And of course, so did the Silver Knights, who suddenly have lost their riches of starting pitchers. Freshman sensation Liam Doyle had to report for a lengthy orientation at Coastal Carolina and isn’t expected back until late July. And another top starter, Josh Roberge, understandably left for a chance to pitch for Yarmouth in the Cape Cod League.

Thus, the Knights came into contact late Wednesday night with Lexington, Mass. lefty Gabe Van Emon, who went 8-1 at Endicott College (Beverly, Mass.). Van Emon pitched 4.1 innings of shutout ball, allowing six hits but striking out six.

Westfield, which came in hitting .283 as a team, outhit Nashua 10-8. But before the ninth, relievers Cole Glassburn (winning pitcher), L.T. Pare, and Zach Gitschier had kept the Starfires off the board.

New Nashua Silver Knight Gabe Van Emon delivers a pitch in the second inning of Wednesday night’s game vs. Westfield at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Nashua took a 1-0 lead in the first of Westfield starter Shayne Audet with Ray Velazquez towering homer over the billboards in left. It didn’t look like it was gone but the ball kept carrying up and out.

“I didn’t think it was gone, I was just trying to put something in play,” Velazquez said. “There were two outs and I was trying to get some energy on the bench. We’d had trouble doing that the last couple of games.”

“He had a great swing on the curve ball,” Jackson said. “There was plenty of pop on it. It’s just getting into hitters counts.”

But the Knights knew they needed more. Jack McDermott’s RBI single in the fifth made it 2-0, and Chris Katz hit a solo shot to left in the sixth for a 3-0 lead.Shane McNamara’s fly ball that was actually dropped by center fielder Luca Giallongo but would have been a sac fly anyway gave the Knights a 4-0 edge in the eighth – and it turned out to be the winning run.

“I always preach to them, don’t be satisfied with one,” Jackson said. “Keep adding on. Keep grinding, whether we have to bunt, move a guy over and get a sac fly. Do something to get more runs so it’s less pressure on the pitcher.”

But there was plenty of pressure on Wachter in the ninth after Brookline’s Hsu, after striking out the first batter he faced, issued a walk, triple, wild pitch (4-2) and then another triple, ending Nashua’s 15.1 scoreless pitching streak. But the Knights survived.

“They played a great game,” Jackson said of his team.. “Hsu overthrew, just got behind in the count and (the Starfires) put the ball in play. Got to play all nine. But they finished it, and I’m happy.”

“Those guys (Starfires) are in second place and we’re just out here trying to find our way back into it, and it’s a big win for the team,” Wachter said. “I love it.”