The Silver Knights mob Jack McDermott, second from left, after his gap hit produced a 6-5 walk-off win over Vermont in Game 2 of the FCBL Finals at Holman Stadium on Thursday night. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – One more for the road.

It will be the case for the Nashua Silver Knights as the 2022 Futures Collegiate League season comes down to one game for the title tonight at 6:35 at the University of Vermont’s Centennial Field in Burlington.

That’s because the Silver Knights on Thursday night won a thriller in walk-off fashion in Game 2 of the best-of-three FCBL Finals at Holman Stadium, 6-5, on Jack McDermott’s RBI gap hit with two out. Of course it drew a loud roar from the impressive crowd of 1,746.

Tonight it will be Nashua lefty Noah Wachter (3-4, 5.31) vs. Vermont’s Ian Parent (5-0, 3.54). Nashua lost Game 1 at Vermont Wednesday so last night was an elimination game only for them.

“They did not want to lose at home,” Nashua manager Kyle Jackson said, his team rallying from an early 4-0 deficit to take a 5-4 lead in the seventh, only to see Vermont tie it in the top of the ninth. “They did not want their team to celebrate on our field. And you know what, that shows a lot right there.”

“I was just trying to stay as calm as I could,” said McDermott, who drove in Brady Desjardins from second on the first pitch to him from Lake Monster reliever George Goldstein. “My heart was racing a bit. I was sitting on off-speed, and ended up getting a curve ball or slider first pitch. And I put my best swing on it.”

But none of that would have been possible had it not been for a shutdown effort by homegrown pitcher Alex Meesig, a Nashua North alum out of Assumption who joined the Knights just a couple of weeks ago before the roster freeze. With Nashua down 4-0, he tossed 4.2 innings of one-hit, scoreless relief, with four strikeouts and zero walks. It was a classic effort.

“He saved the game for us,” Jackson said, pointing to the Holman scoreboard. “You see all those zeroes?”

Vermont didn’t have many zeroes early on. Nashua starter Brock Pare couldn’t find it, as he didn’t make it out of the first. He issued two walks to start the game and both came around to score on Brian Schaub’s sac fly and an RBI single by Colby Brouillette for a 2-0 lead.

Nashua reliever Zach Gitschier kept Vermont off the board in the second but in the third issued a walk and an RBI single to Gio Cueto and another to Cooper Kelly, and the Knights were down 4-0.

Enter Meesig to put out the fire. Now it was a matter of Nashua finally getting to Vermont starter Nick Berger. It finally happened in the fourth on back to back singles by Shane McNamara and Will MacLean, and a fielder’s choice off the bat of Jack Toomey.

Nashua infielder Brady Desjardins keeps the ball from going to the outfield as Vermont’s Gio Cueto slides safely into second during Thursday night’s Game 2 of the FCBL Finals at HolmanStadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

“We kept saying, we need one run, just one run to break the ice,” Jackson said. “The pressure was all on them, there was no pressure on us. The trophy was there for them (the Lake Monsters). Don’t let them. Have fun, do what you do, win or lose, just have fun.”

It got to be more fun when the Knights cut the deficit in half with another run in the sixth, thanks to Vermont left fielder Harrison Didawick slipping when McNamar lifted a fly to left off Vermont reliever Evan Clark with one on and one out. It allowed Kyle Wolff to score all the way from first make it 4-2.

But Nashua’s big inning was the seventh, as the Lake Monsters unraveled and Nashua scored three runs on just one hit, Greg Bozzo’s one out single to start the rally. A walk, error, three wild pitches (plating two) and an RBI groundout by McDermott gave the Knights a 5-4 lead, as the stadium erupted.

But it wasn’t over. Harrison Didawick led off the ninth with a double off Knights reliever Will Andrews, and eventually scored on Tommy Martin’s swinging bunt, 5-5. But Andrews bounced back after Martin stole second and struck out Tyler Favretto and Kyle Hoog to send things to the bottom of the ninth deadlocked.

Vermont’s Goldstein got the first two outs, although Bozzo sent one to the wall in left center. But Brady Desjardins singled, and Brady O’Brien walked on a very close pitch. “I thought it was a strike,” Vermont manager Pete Wilk said. “But I’m 30 yards away. But the catcher thought it was a strike. But that’s baseball. It is what it is.

“We’re all deep into our staffs. But that’s playoff baseball. Some guys have to step up, and that’s what’s got to happen tomorrow.”

After the walk, up came McDermott, who had homered twice in the first game of the semis at New Britain. He came through again, as the Knights showed even after losing Game 1 12-0 they had no quit.

“We were up the whole time,” McDermott said. “The dugout did a great job keeping the energy up. Pitchers kept us in the game, so we knew we would just keep battling.

“We just fight to the end.”

And the end comes tonight, one way or another, and it’s been quite a ride.