The Silver Knights mob Will Burns, center (no cap) after his walk-off base hit gave them a dramatic 2-1 win over New Britain at the annual July 4 game Friday at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – The Baseball Gods had plans for Nashua Silver Knights catcher Will Burns.

They teased him during Friday’s July 4 seven-inning holiday game vs. New Britain at Holman Stadium, as his throwing error in the sixth inning allowed the New Britain Bees to tie the very important FCBL game at 1. A game in which Knights starter Matt Fitzgibbon had not allowed a hit.

But in the bottom of the seventh, with two outs and Pat Shrake on second, Burns laced a line drive to left off Bees reliever Carson Parrott that a diving outfielder Dylan Mayer got a glove on but couldn’t quite snare, giving the Knights a walk-off win before an announced holiday crowd of 2,783.

Thus for Burns, all’s well that ends well and he becomes a holiday hero.

“Resilient guy,” said Silver Knights manager Nick Guarino of Burns, adding that the throw could also have been blocked by third basemen Joeseph Zorc to prevent the run. “It goes both ways…Burns had some good swings all day today, I’m happy he was the guy that got up and did that.”

“It definitely goes through your head,” Burns, who will be a junior at UMaine, said. “I’m thinking about it, I have a chance to make up for it now, you turn that into confidence and say to yourself ‘I’m going to make up for an error I made … I’m going to go out there, make an effort to make up for it and see if I can win the game.”

Burns said he was watching Mayer the whole time. “I was, but credit to my guys, Shrake getting on, guys getting rallies early, it doesn’t happen without them.”

Silver Knights starter Matt Fitzgibbon did not allow a hit over 5.1 innings in Friday’s 2-1 win over New Britain. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

The other story of the day was the pitching of Fitzgibbon, who probably has just one or two more starts left in him thanks to an innings limit imposed by his school, St. Joseph’s University (Pa.). He struck out nine over 5.1 frames, allowing zero hits, walking four. But when one of those walks, Caleb Miller, took second on a wild pitch and then took off for third, prompting Burns’ bouncing throw, the game was tied and Fitzgibbon was done. Burns did, however, throw out another runner at third for the second out of the inning.

“Fitzy was absolutely dominating,” Guarino said. “We should have pounded them (eight left on). … But he was lights out. That’s what we needed today.”

Guarino was going to leave it up to Fitzgibbon to see how he felt if he still had the no-no and the lead after six, if he wanted to go back out there.

“Leave it up to him,” Guarino said. “If he’s got it going, as a pitcher, myself, I don’t want to take him out of the game. He knows we needed the win today.”

Nashua took a 1-0 lead when Jack Balcer led off the third with a double off Bees starter Ben Oliveira. He stole second, and was save at third on a risky play on a fielder’s choice/grounder to short. He then scored on Joey Current’s RBI double to bring a roar from the crowd.

But the Bees were doing their darndest to create a buzz on the bases, as they stole five in all. They finally got their lone hit off the bat of Carlos Irizarry off Knights reliever and winner Lukasz Rondeau of Windham. Irizarry stole second but Rondeau got a strikeout and fly out to end any threat.

“Our pitchers have kept us in games all year,” Bees manager Matt Gedman said. “When you’re not getting hits, you’ve got to find other ways to try to generate runs. … Sometimes you’ve got to use your legs and keep you in the game.”

Meanwhile, this was a big win for Nashua (17-16) over a 15-16 Bees team that is in the playoff race with them. The Knights will head to New Britain on Sunday for a 1:35 p.m. rematch, but that will be tough after getting home late from a Saturday trip to face the Vermont Lake Monsters. Guarino told his team to think of the weekend as a three-game series.

“You’re up 1-nothing,” he said. “Can’t get complacent, though. We’re going to Vermont tomorrow, they’re going to be ready to go.”

You know Will Burns will be.

Nashua’s Jack Balcer is safe at third as the ball winds up to the left of New Britain third baseman Julius Rosado during Friday’s holiday game at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)