Wow. Could Friday’s July 4 Nashua Silver Knights holiday game have been any more different than last year?

Instead of the dragging, non-competitive loss in 2024 in which the plug was pulled in the top of the ninth by the city to prepare for the fireworks and other festivities, a large active announced crowd of 2,783 saw a walk-off 2-1 win. Celebration at 12:30 p.m. before the celebration set for 9 p.m.

“It was an absolute blast,” said the hero, Will Burns, who hit the game-winning single to left. “It’s a beautiful day, beautiful morning, and I get to go celebrate with the family tonight and enjoy the day.”

Burns will now have a lasting July 4 memory. The Silver Knights took all the precautions not to repeat last year’s fiasco, starting at 10:30 a.m.instead of the original 11 a.m.time, and making it a seven-inning game – which it was thanks to Burns’ hit. If the game went into the eighth with the automatic runner, it was closing in on a time when the city would have liked things to end to set up for the rest of the day.

Instead, fun, no fiasco.

“It was great,” Silver Knights manager Nick Guarino said. “The crowd was into it; I’m glad they’re still behind us after the slow stretch we’ve had (4-6 going in). Nice to have a good send off before we hit the road tomorrow and Sunday.”

This was the best case scenario. The tradition began three years ago at the urging of Knights GM Cam Cook and worked to perfection in 2022, then they played a nine inning game in 2023 and tried again last year. But this was the way to go and hopefully it’s a tradition that will continue. Great crowd, great partnership with the city, great game – fans almost saw a Matt Fitzgibbon/Lukasz Rondeau no-hitter – and great weather. Heck, great everything. For outsiders, too.

“It was great,” New Britain manager Matt Gedman said of the atmosphere. “Morning game, it was an early morning for us, but for them to fill the stands the way they did, it says a lot about the city.”

See? The baseball guys know. So do the local baseball guys, like BG alum Brandon Metivier, a Nashua guy who’s been on the Knights for three July 4 games now.

“It’s incredible, man,” Metivier said. “It’s awesome that these fans show up at 10:30 in the morning, are here having so much fun with us. I couldn’t ask for a better day. Hopefully we can get a couple of wins and this kick-starts something. But unbelievable crowd today. … I’m happy we could get a walk-off win for them.”

Kids run the bases following Friday’s Nashua Silver Knights July 4 holiday game at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Guarino played with Nashua for two seasons, 2020 and 2021. In 2021, the Knights went to Pittsfield on July 4, which is where they usually had gone before making plans with the city for this holiday treat. Much better to play at home.

“Hopefully they do it next year,too,” Guarino said. “We won, walked off, you can’t get a better Fourth of July than that, you’re out of here by 12:30, you get the rest of the day to hang out, see friends and family.It’s a pretty good day so far.”

This is a different year for the franchise, it’s a more competitive team and it certainly is a playoff contender. Guarino hasn’t been thrilled with some of the mistakes, but fans saw the good stuff too. Cole Patterson preserved Fitzgibbon’s no-no with a diving catch to end the second with a runner on. Fitzgibbon had nine strikeouts. Concession stands were buzzing. And what’s better than a walk-off? It couldn’t have been scripted better.

“Not any better than that,” Metivier said.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on X @Telegraph _TomK.