Nashua infielder Hunter Troiano tries to secure the balll after Norwich's CJ Williamson steals second during Saturday night's FCBL game at Historic Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – What a difference a couple of days can make.

The Nashua Silver Knights the fans are getting to know and love appear to be back.

After looking lifeless and lethargic in a 1-0 loss to Lowell on Thursday night, the Knights decided enough was enough. Saturday night they mercy ruled the Norwich Sea Unicorns 11-1 at Historic Holman Stadium for their second straight win, beating a team that it’s likely in a race with for a playoff spot.

“We’ve pieced it together, it looks like it,” Nashua’s A.J. Kolb, who had a whopping five hits (5 for 5) in the leadoff spot and scored three runs.

“There’s better energy,” Silver Knights manager Nick Guarino said. “It’s back to where it was the first couple of weeks.We’re like, less selfish at bats, trying to do jobs, get on base. … The compete factor is there.”

Proof: Friday night Nashua battled back to win. Last night, they let the game come to them, seeing that Norwich starter Janvier Diaz had high velocity but no idea of where the ball was going. He hit two batters, and Nashua led 3-0 after one. Kolb led off the second with a double and eventually scored on Pete Keblinsky’s two-out base hit. Kelbinsky went 2 for 3 with three RBIs and two runs scored.

Hunter Troiano went 2 for 2 with a sac fly. Nashua scored three in the third to break things open. Kolb had an RBI single, Max Forgione scored on a play at the plate when Norwich catcher Henry Ayers didn’t hold on to the ball. But you knew the game was over in the bottom of the fourth when Connor Smith sent a 2-0 offering from Norwich reliever Sean McGettigan high over the brick wall into the left field picnic area. He flipped his bat which certainly didn’t endear himself to the Sea Unicorns. McGettigan’s next pitch was so far behind the next Knights hitter, Kelinsky, that it seemed like it was aimed for his own dugout.

“It got kind of chippy,” Guarino said. “It was fun to see, it was a fun baseball game.”

Nashua got the lead up to 11-1 in the bottom of the sixth when Phoenix Williams walked with the bases loaded. That was key because in the top of the seventh Brandon Metivier tossed his third straight scoreless frame to finish things early (10-run rule by the seventh) and get his first win of the season (1-1) in relief of Will Perkowski, whose pitch count was up there after four innings.

But Kolb was the energizer.

“Trying to put the bat on the ball,” Kolb said. “Just doing the best I can possibly do. I had a rough little stretch there, but just trying to put the barrel on it, hit it hard.”

Kolb has always seen himself as “a (No.) 2 hitter type of guy” and didn’t know how comfortable he’d feel hitting leadoff. But it sure worked last night.

“Just trying to have the same mindset and get on base for this team.”

Kolb was humble, but excited. The Towson University junior-to-be was the energizer, doing what you’d want a leadoff hitter to do.

“He actually hit a ball pretty far for him in the (left-center) gap there,” Guarino said. “That’s just what he does, contact guy. He actually said the other night he struck out three times and he said ‘I’m not going to do that ever again this summer. I just have to get back to where I am. I’m not really on time right now.’

Whatever he fixed worked.”

You might be able to say the same about the rest of the Silver Knights.

Norwich catcher Henry Ayers tries to tag out Nashua’s Caleb Vacchiano at home during Saturday nght’s FCBL game at Historic Holman Stadium. Vacchiano was ruled safe. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

PITCHING PITCHING

Nashua sends Josh Florence to the mound at New Britain today at 1:30 p.m. Then, on Monday, they will start newcomer Ty Loshen, who just arrived.

Tuesday is tba, because, remember, two starters, Cam Piwnicki and Lucas Collins have been shut down by Brown and Dayton.

That might have been one of the reasons they had Metivier go three full, to possibly stretch him out. “We are, we’re trying to see what it looks like when he can go two or three innings,” Guarino said. “It looks like he can go two pretty strong with the velo, but the third inning was a little down but we’ll see what we’ve got.”