Lowell shortstop Zander Bratspis reaches for the ball as Nashua's AJ Kolb tries to steal second in the first inning of Monday's FCBL game at Historic Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – It was a great night for the Nashua Lions Monday.

That’s because the Cup the Nashua Silver Knights had been battling the Lowell Spinners for over the season series belongs to the locals, clinched by last night’s 8-5 comeback win at Historic Holman Stadium.

The win, secured with three runs in the eighth, vaults Nashua over the .500 mark at 17-16 with the league’s best team, Vermont, coming to HHS for not one but two straight nights. Nashua had lost its last three vs. the Spinners after winning the first six between the two, and that simply had to stop. But being down 4-0 after the first three innings didn’t give one a good feeling that it would.

But it did, as 12 hits can do that sometimes.

“Just the experience of playing a lot of close games the last week or two, guys getting more comfortable in situations,” Silver Knights manager Nick Guarino said. “The lineup is what the lineup is. We know we’re going to be able to come back. The bullpen put up some zeroes we came back and scored three times after the zeroes … Just the resiliency and learning how to play in close baseball games.”

It was 5-5 going into the bottom of the eighth and Lowell inserted its would-be closer Anthony Mateo, who had three saves in a week after just joining the team. But Peter Keblinsky and Hunter Story provided RBI singles to make it an 8-5 game.

Nashua’s other big inning was in the sixth, as the Knights scored three times on just one hit, sending nine to the plate to grab a 5-4 lead. Lowell squeaked out a run on a rare catcher Ben Peterson throwing error to tie it in the seventh.

An entertaining game, to be sure, highlighted by watching reliever Brody Bump scamper sideways all the way off the mound into the dugout at the end of the eighth. That’s because Mike Villani’s leaping (for the catch) and diving (to the bag) for an unassisted double play with one out and the bases full of Spinners. It was his first appearance without allowing a run all season.

“We decided to go with Bump because his off-speed stuff would look better there,” Guarino said. “A great play by Villani. Pitching and defense. You play clean baseball you win baseball games. Plain and simple. Winning is simple – most of the time.”

Bump got his first win (1-2) while Aaron Forgues pitched the ninth, escaping a jam, for his third save.

Early on, Lowell (13-23) nickel and dimed its way to a 4-0 lead thanks in part to four infield hits; an unearned run in the first and three in the third with RBI hits by Andrew Johnston and Zander Bratspis off Knights starter Josh Florence. Nashua got a sac fly in the fourth from Mike Villani as well as an RBI single by Connor Smith to cut things to 4-2.

Nashua takes the Milltown Showdown Lions Trophy after beating Lowell 8-5 on Monday night at Historic Holman Stadium. (Photo courtesy of Nashua Silver Knights)

Nashua was aggressive to try to match Lowell manager Kevin Graber’s wheel and steal strategy. Two Silver Knights were thrown out on the basepaths in the first inning, but third base coach Steve Mooney had the wave going late and Nashua got three runs that way.

“It’s kind of my M.O.in general,” Mooney said. “I like to be aggressive on the basepaths; I come from a school where we’re aggressive on the basepaths. Put pressure on the other team, make them make plays. … Our guys buy into it too.”

“We’re aggressive,” Guarino said. “Sometimes it bites us, but sometimes it saves us too.”