The Nashua Silver Knights and walk-off hero Shane McNamara (center) of Londonderry celebrate their come-from-behind win over Pittsfield Saturday at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Kyle Jackson was standing in the ramp area by the visitors clubhouse at Holman Stadium on Saturday, having been tossed from the game for arguing a bad call at home plate during Saturday’s NESN-televised game vs. Pittsfield at Holman Stadium.

His team had just blown a 3-1 lead and was heading into the ninth.

How frustrating would this loss be?

“It’s not a loss, it’s not a loss yet,” he said. “Besides, we’re a comeback team.”

No truer words were spoken yesterday as Jackson and a loud crowd of 744 watched pinch-hitting Londonderry’s Shane McNamara boom a ball off the right field wall with one out in the bottom of the ninth, plating Kyle Wolff and Ray Velazquez with the tying and winning runs in a 5-4 Silver Knights win over the Suns. Nashua (15-17) is now on its second five-game winning streak in the last few weeks.

McNamara, a lefty hitter who has seen just limited action, whacked a 3-2 offering from Pittsfield’s Ian Donahue after grinding his way through the at-bat for his first hit of the season in just 12 at-bats.

“The first three or four pitches were fastballs, and I didn’t think I was late, and I just tried to stay back in case he threw me an off-speed,” McNamara said. “I knew I was eventually going to get that fastball and I got it.”

And a team that looked completely dead after the opening game of a doubleheader vs. Worcester this past Tuesday is alive and well, and even had the energy to roll with the punches of a 1 p.m. game after getting in from a rare two-night sweep of Vermont yesterday morning at 2 a.m.

“I love this team,” McNamara said. “We’re going to be good. We’re figuring it out right now, we’re just trying to grind it out, grind out other teams in all facets in the game.”

Silver Knights coach Brendan Martin, who was the acting manager with Jackson booted, made the decision to insert McNamara after the red-hot Kyle Wolff (four hits, including three doubles) got the rally going with a one-out single. Velazquez followed with a bloop single.

“Shane has been big with runners in scoring position spots for us this year,” Martin said. “I know he’s team oriented and I just wanted to give him a shot there and see what he could do. And he did it, which was awesome.”

Nashua’s Ray Velazquez slides into second while Pittsfield’s Sean McGee waits for the ball to arrive during Saturday afternoon’s FCBL game at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

It wasn’t your typical Saturday matinee. The smoking hot Wolff who doubled with two out in the first came home diving head first on an RBI single by Velazquez for a 1-0 early Knights lead for Nashua starting pitcher Jonah Wachter. That lead held until the Suns (14-18) got an unearned run (Nashua committed four errors) in the fifth.

Nashua then took a 3-1 lead in the sixth when Pittsfield reliever Drew Haight lost all control, walking two and plunking two after one of Wolff’s doubles.

But the inning featured home plate umpire Rick Emerson calling out Valdez at home on a play that would have been a bases loaded force but turned into a tag play thanks to a bad throw by Haight to catcher Derek Paris. It didn’t look like Paris got Valdez nearly in time and Jackson, who was already furious at Emerson telling Knights players to stay in the dugout, predictably got himself tossed.

Then the wheels came off when the Suns scored three in the eighth to take the lead, two of the runs charged to Knights reliever Brandon Hsu (scoreless seventh, but walk and double to start the eighth) and one to L.T. Pare, who gave up an RBI groundout and consecutive RBI singles to Sean McGee and Paris.

Somehow, though, the Knights were able to keep their focus. Cole Glassburn, who relieved Pare, picked up the win.

“There was tons of stuff going on,” McNamara said. “You’ve just got to block out the noise and go up there with a clear head and just try to get it done for the team.”

Mission accomplished.

PITCHING CHANGES

Although he did have a relief appearance Friday night in Vermont, popular staring hurler Liam Doyle is indeed now off to Coastal Carolina for about three weeks. And Josh Roberge was possibly going to start one of the weekend games, but the Cape League opening he expected (a pitcher signed with Team USA) finally took place and he, too is gone.

Thus, today’s starter vs. Norwich (3 p.m.) will be Aiven Cabral (0-1, 6.35), who was the losing pitcher in that loss to Worcester Tuesday, and then Shea Ryan (0-2, 4.64) in Monday’s 11 a.m.holiday game vs. Worcester, who he kept in check in the nightcap of that twinbill despite a no decision….

What of starter Brayden Clark, out the last few weeks with a kidney stone? He had a procedure late this past week, and will get a followup later this coming week. After that, he’ll start a throwing program and hopefully be ready to pitch in games in less than two weeks, Jackson said, most likely out of the bullpen to begin with….

Jackson on Wolff, who is now hitting .387 with five homers, 18 RBIs and an OPS of 1.115: “He is on a tear. He’s seeing the ball well, putting himself in good hitter’s counts, and he’s hitting a lot of fastballs. When we were in Vermont, one homer was off-speed, second was a fastball. They might play him to pull but he can go the other way.” …

Former Red Sox great Rico Petrocelli and Laconia politician and retired U.S. Army brigadier general Don Bolduc threw out the ceremonial first pitches.