The Bikers celebrate their walk-off win in the FCBL All-Star Game on Wednesday night at Historic Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Lowell Spinners catcher Brett Gallo was headed to the gym in his hometown of Needham, Mass. for an off-day workout Wednesday morning when he got a text from one of the team’s owners, Marc Deschenes.

“He said any chance you’re available for the All-Star Game tonight, they need another guy,” Gallo said. “I was just like, yeah, absolutely, I’ll play.”

He did more than that. Gallo drove in the tying and game-winning runs with his base hit in the bottom of the ninth off Colby Dimenna to give the Bikers a 6-5 walk-off win over the Hikers before 1,675 at Historic Holman Stadium. That effort earned him the FCBL All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award.

Not a bad day, huh?

“I know, pretty cool,” the Northeastern incoming freshman said. “It’s awesome. It was an awesome experience.”

But was an experience that Vermont Lake Monsters manager Matt Fincher apparently didn’t want his players to stay here an extra day for after Tuesday’s rainout. All 10 Vermont players were said to be told by their manager to head back with him to Burlington, Vt. – even though the Monsters are slated to play at nearby Lowell today. Besides angering league officials and putting the game jeopardy, that opened up the door for other players in the league to fill some of the spots, including Gallo. Crisis averted.

“I tell you all the time, summer ball’s about guys who want to be here,” Bikers and Silver Knights manager Nick Guarino said. “That’s a guy who wants to be here and play summer ball. Gets a call this morning, shows up, plays good baseball and ends up winning the game for us. Kind of cool. That was fun.”

Westfield’s Thomas Pirog was awarded the win despite giving up a run in the top of the ninth on Kacin Robinson’s triple and Myles Gythfeldt to give the Hikers a 5-4 lead going into the bottom half of the frame.

Had the game ended in a tie after nine, the league was set to have a Home Run Derby – one hitter from each team – to decide the outcome. Nashua’s Connor Smith would have loved that, as he was set to be the hitter, especially after going 0 for 10 in the Derby the day before.

“I was excited for redemption, I’ll tell you that,” Smith said. “But (Gallo) is an absolute dog. He had two barrels this game. He didn’t even start the game. He came cold off the bench.All the Lowell guys, we love them here, we had fun in the dugout. I think that’s what helped us win that game. Everybody is friends with each other and had a ton of fun.”

Smith fought off a pitch for a one-out base hit the opposite way to right to start the rally in the ninth after swinging hard and missing a pitch.

“I was trying to win the game with that swing,” he said. “But I’ve faced him before, I know what his breaking ball looks like, just trying to stay inside the ball, keep it short after that, just trying to get on base for the guys.”

Nashua players were prominent in the game for the Bikers. Center fielder Phoenix Williams had two hits, scored a run and reached base four times. Knight Peter Keblinsky singled in Smith for a 1-0 lead in the fourth, and Smith doubled in two runs in the fifth to make it 3-0.

Cam Biller’s (Lowell) sac fly got the Hikers on the board in the sixth and Ben Kuja’s (New Britain) two-run single tied it at 3 in the sixth, and he singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth off Nashua reliever Brandon Metivier. But the Bikers Jack Quigley (Lowell) tied it with a sac fly for an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth.

After Smith’s single in the ninth, Keblinsky reached on an error at first, and Nick Fox (Westfield) walked to load the bases for Gallo.

“I just knew I had to be aggressive, hit the ball hard somewhere and it worked out,” Gallo said.

FCBL Commissioner Joe Paolucci, left, presents Lowell Spinner Brett Gallo with the All-Star Game MVP award at Historic Holman Stadium on Wednesday night. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

COMMISSIONER ON VERMONT

FCBL Commissioner Joe Paolucci was none too pleased – neither was Silver Knights owner John Creedon, Jr. – on Vermont’s move. It’s possible there could be a fine imposed or worse.

“I’m really disappointed,” Paolucci said. “There were a few players from other teams that couldn’t make it back, but their managers and general managers made sure that somebody else came up to fill in that spot so we could play a game today. Everybody in the league cooperated except Vermont.”

Paolucci blamed Fincher, no doubt.

“I put it on the manager for not making sure his players came back,” Paolucci said. “And we’ll see what comes of it.”

Meaning some type of discipline.

“There’ll be something, I haven’t decided what it’s going to be,” Paolucci said. “It’s detrimental to the league. It really is.”