Robby Grasso takes a cut during Tuesday night's Silver Knghts game vs. Vermont at Holman Stadiium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Every season has games like this.

The Nashua Silver Knights fell behind the Vermont Lake Monsters by a 12-2 count by the middle of the third inning on Tuesday night at Historic Holman Stadium, and it was simply a drawn out journey to a 17-11 loss.

The bad: Nashua committed five errors leading to seven unearned runs and five pitchers proceeded to plunk a combined five hitters and allowed 18 hits. It was ugly.

The good: The Knights kept swining the bats, even down 10, totaled 14 hits led by Phoenix Williams (4 for 6, three runs, an RBI), Connor Smith (2 for 3, homer, three RBIs, two runs scored) and Hudson Story (3 for 4, two runs, four RBIs).

But it wasn’t enough. The Lake Monsters, who were led by Jake Lopez (4 for 4, three RBIs) had six batters with multiple hits and four doubles. Down 2-0 early, Vermont scored in five straight innings from the second through the sixth. Ouch.

But it’s a quick turnaround as this morning the Knights host New Britain in Education Day 2 at Holman at 10:30 after what was a three hour, 34 minute exercise in futility before an intimate HHS crowd of 565 — or about 2500 less than what will be in the stands this morning.

“Lot of free bases, lot of free runs,” Knights manager Nick Guarino said. “I just told them, if we made a couple more pitches, got a couple more hits, made a couple more plays, then things would be reversed.

“We scrapped … Yeah, you got beat, but you can say you played pretty well given the circumstances there.”

Malcolm Klingler started for Nashua and got knocked around after a scoreless first as he lasted just two innings, giving up five earned runs on five hits. But he wasn’t alone as it took until Declan Wilkes to get scoreless relief, as he tossed 1.2 innings of goose eggs.

What might be disturbing is the Knights have committed nine errors combined in their last two games, especially in the middle infield.

Problem? “We’ve had a different infield every game so far,” Guarino said. “We’re trying to mix guys in and out, trying to find it, but we scored 11 runs…”

And that should be enough. But Vermont can jump of the bus and swing away.

“That’s Vermont, that’s how they do it,” Guarino said. “I told them if you don’t play clean, you’re going to get beat, and that’s what happened.

“You’ve got to pitch and play defense. You score 11 runs you should be able to win a game; you make five errors, that’s not going to happen.”

Guarino feels his players will take the lesson and learn from it.

“These are all guys who come from good programs, a lot of guys from winning programs,” he said. “They know what it takes to win games. That’s why you see they don’t stop competing.”