The zeroes tell the story of the Nashua Silver Knights anemic offense on Saturday night vs. Westfield. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – They’re still in the playoff race, although certainly crawling instead of running.

Saturday night may have been a low point for the Nashua Silver Knights, as they were one-hit by five Westfield pitchers in a 4-0 loss before a Holman Stadium crowd of 1,832.

Let’s put it in perspective: Westfield is the doormat of the FCBL with a 14-41 record, and a team earned run average of 5.84. Two of the Starfires relievers had earned run averages of 10.80 and 9.00.

You do the math.

“They can hit, there’s just no adjustments or any approaches,” Silver Knights manager Nick Guarino said. “We had 11 strikeouts and 10 rollovers. … No one made an adjustment. It was 5-3, 5-3, 6-3, with no adjustments, that’s not hitting. I don’t know what it is. … I don’t have the answer for you. Very frustrating. It’s embarrassing.”

Nashua (23-31, losers in 12 of their last 13) was in grave danger of being no-hit, the only one being a one-out, one on single to center by No. 9 hitter Brendan Walsh in the bottom of the eighth off Westfield’s Thomas Pirog, bringing a roar from the large crowd.

However, all was not lost as New Britain (25-30) lost to Vermont, keeping Nashua only a game-and-a-half out of the last spot. Basically it will come down to winning percentage. But the Knights can’t afford to any more ground;they host leauge-leading Worcester today at 3 p.m. and then have a huge meeting with New Britain on the road Tuesday.

Guarino was right when he said “Two earned runs today, we pitched well enough to win a baseball game.”. Lefty starter Scott Longo gave up a two-run double to Cole Silvia for all the runs the Starfires would need. They would add a run on an infield hit by Josh Frometa off Ethan Hunt in the sixth – Frometa became Westfield’s career hit leader with that – and one in the seventh on two hits and an error by Knights shortstop Patrick Shrake for the 4-0 lead.

You know it’s a bad night when the manager cites a ball just foul as the best hit of the night, one down the left field line by lefty Will Burns, who ended up grounding out to second leading off the ninth.

“It was Burns 2-2 ball down the left field line,” Guarino said. “That should have been the approach all day. For some reason is we don’t want to make the adjustment.”

Guarino told the players afterward that no matter how bleak it looks, they are still very much alive. But they have to start winning.

“Some how, some way we’re still in it,” he said. “We’re in a spot…We just have to put some things together.”

NOTES

Nashua will start Nigel Cross today vs. the Bravehearts, but may couple him with Caden Smith, the way he did Hunt with Longo last night…

The team was without perhaps its most talented hitter, Matt Jackson, who is away in Nevada on a family vacation. He may or may not return. “It’s up to the kid,” Guarino said…

Some more good news may be the return of outfielder Tommy Ahlers, who started the season with the Knights on a temp arrangement before leaving for Bristol of the NECBL. If Bristol’s playoff run is over in the next day or so, he could join the team on Tuesday.