The Holman Stadium lights suddenly went out in the seventh inning of the Nashua Silver Knights FCBL game vs. Lowell Monday night, forcing the game to be suspended with Nashua up 10-4. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – The Nashua Silver Knights are expecting the electrical issue that caused the lights to go out at Holman Stadium on Monday night to be solved by Friday, in time for the first Friday Night Fireworks game.

Knights general manager Cam Cook said that according to the electricians and the city of Nashua, who worked on it Tuesday morning, a part needed to solve the situation completely is expected to arrive and be installed on Friday. Thus the team moved its only other night game, tonight (Tuesday) vs. Vermont up a half hour to 5:30 p.m. to, as Cook said, “maximize daylight.”

Cook said the lights were operable Tuesday morning, but that there was no guarantee they would stay that way.

“The lights go on, but they can’t guarantee we won’t have the same issue as (Monday) night,” Cook said. “It might even be a five percent chance, but (changing the time) increases the odds it won’t be an issue. We’re trying to minimize the usage (of the lights) we need.

“Total bummer, we appreciate everyone’s flexibility across the league. It sounds like when they get the part Friday it will be a quick fix and we’ll be ready for Friday night.”

The only other home game this week is another Education Day Game Wednesday morning at 10:30.

There weren’t too many in the Historic Holman Stadium stands in the seventh inning with Nashua up comfortably 10-4 vs.the Lowell Spinners Monday night, and perhaps that was a good thing because suddenly the facility went dark on the field. The stadium lights went completely out, and after about 40 minutes of trying to solve the problem, the Knights announced the contest had been suspended. It will be resumed next Tuesday, June 9 Nashua batting with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

“I think we would have been fine,” Silver Knights manager Nick Guarino said of his team if the game had been resumed after the delay. “It helps being up six. Guys are locked in so I think we would have been fine. We had a new pitcher coming in (for the eighth) and I think it would have been tougher for them to get their pitcher back going.”

It’s been a tough road for Lowell at the start, as they were two frames away from an 0-5 start. Meanwhile, this is the second time in a couple of weeks that the new lights, installed over the off-season by the city, suddenly went out. The first was during the Bishop Guertin vs. Manchester Memorial contest back on May 19. They had to move it to Gill Stadium in Manchester for resumption the next day.

Fans who were in the stands last night were told their ticket to last night’s game can also be used for any other Silver Knights game this season.

It was the third straight game vs. Lowell for the Knights, who were off on Sunday but came right back out and swung the bats again after winning here Saturday night in a mercy rule game.

Connor Smith hit a two-run homer in the first inning for a quick 2-0 Nashua lead. Lowell tied it 2-2 thanks to two Knights errors – they had been flawless defensively the first four games – but Nashua regained the lead in the bottom of the third on Sam Gettinger’s two-run hit. Up 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Nashua erupted for six runs, keyed by a two-run Robby Grosso single.

The bottom line for the Knights is they’re hitting the ball.

“We told them before the game, ‘Don’t eat the cheese,’,” Guarino said. “Trap game, you’ve beaten them twice pretty good the last couple of games. Now it’s the third game off an off day with a big week ahead, so it’s easy to come out here and go through the motions. But Smith comes up with a two-run home run and punch them in the face early.”

Dayton lefty Lucas Collins started for Nashua and allowed two unearned runs. But Nashua hitters seem to have their pitchers’ backs.

“Guys are comfortable,” Guarino said. “It’s all guys that played all year. It doesn’t much to get going, get their timing back and we’re figuring out where to put them in the lineup. Right now it’s looking OK.”

Even in the dark.