Nigel Cross threw five shutout innings for the Silver Knights this past Sunday. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Nigel Cross is a busy guy.

The Worcester, Mass. native is taking architecture classes this summer at Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Then on Fridays, he works for a construction company.

“Both sides of the field,” he said.

But on Saturdays, he gives the Nashua Silver Knights five or six innings of quality mound work. He’s 2-1 with an ERA of 2.60 in four starts, including this past Sunday’s 3-1 win over the Worcester Bravehearts. At the beginning of this week he was fourth in the league in strikeouts with 19.

Sometimes the scheduled gets shifted, as the Knights had his designated start day off last weekend but gave him the start Sunday and he didn’t disappoint with five-plus shutout innings.

It was a nice recovery from his last start, a 14-12 loss to that same Worcester team.

“I felt I was getting on the mound a little bit better,” Cross said. “But there’s a lot of factors that went into (Sunday) and I feel that the preparation was there.”

Cross didn’t let any rain delay, about a half hour after the second innng, bother him.

“Rain delays honestly don’t bother me that much unless it cancels the game,” he said. “I’m ready to get back out there and do what I’ve got to do to keep the guys in front.”

Cross usually can’t wait for his starts.

“Oh yeah,” he said. “This is my escape. This is a blast.”

Cross said he keeps in contact wth the team during the week. “I’m always keeping up with the guys, making sure they’re getting together, having a good time,” he said, “but also winning ball games. That’s the most important thing.”

“Last week all three of our (top) guys had bad outings,” Silver Knights manager Nick Guarino said. “This week, different story.”

Guarino says that there are staffers that he’s friends with that go to Wentworth, and keep him updated.

“He made an adjustment in the last game vs. (Worcester), and that just carried over,” Guarino said.

Cross’ next start: this Saturday at Historic Holman Stadium vs. three-time defending FCBL champion Norwich.

SAVE SITUATION

Most of Nashua’s 10 wins have been by big numbers so they haven’t really had too many save situations, but righty Aaron Forgues tossed a scoreless ninth inning the other day to pick up his first save in his second appearance. He’s headed to William & Mary in the fall after transferring from Hobart, and has been unscored upon thus far.

He gave up one bloop hit, but did go to a full count on all but one batter.

“I’d like to see a little less 3-2 counts, maybe go at the guy,” Guarino said. “But I can’t complain, we got the win.”

What Guarino wants to see from his relievers at any juncture in the game is to throw strikes.

“In those close games sometimes, they come in, too many walks,” he said. “We don’t get hit around, we just walk to many guys when we come in.”

PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Nashua’s Will Perkowski was named the FCBL’s Pitcher of the Week after his dominant start last Thursday vs. Lowell in the game televised on NESN at Hisoric Holman Stadium.

Perkowski allowed just three hits and no runs over six innings, striking out six.

NO DAYS OFF

The Knights are at Lowell tonight (7 p.m. and that begins a stretch of eight straight games after the Silver Knights had three of four days off, especially with a rainout this past Friday at Vermont.

That was a kinda-sorta day off, because Nashua did make the trip up to Burlington earlier in the day. The team could not have been happy to spend some eigh hours (round trip) on the road for basically no reason. The game was called about a half hour after the team arrived, something the FCBL tries to avoid. Usually with a long distance trip the game will be called early in the day before the visiting team leaves. Not this time.

In any event, the rainout will be made up on Sunday, July 19 as part of a doubleheader. That’s the last playing date before the All-Star break.

“We’ll get back in the swing of things,” Guarino said, “And the All-Star break (the game is at Holman on July 21) before you know it.”

ATTENDANCE & STUFF

While Lowell (2,550) and Vermont (2,478) continue to sit atop the FCBL’s attendance standings – and they will for the rest of the season – Nashua has vaulted past Worcester into third thanks to two big crowds last weekend (Thursday the 18th, Youth Sports Night, and last Sunday). Nashua is averaging 1,574 paid fans in11 home games. Worcester was at 1,499…

Center fielder Phoenix Williams, often the Knights’ leadoff hitter, began the week leading the FCBL in hitting at .391. He’d played 17 of the team’s 21 games. He was also tied for third in stolen bases (nine).