Silver Knights' Caleb Vacchiano, left, celebrates with his teammates his two-run homer during Thursday night's FCBL game vs. Westfield at Historic Holman Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Nashua Silver Knights players like Caleb Vacchiano and Peter Keblinsky have something in common:

They stayed.

It’s been a mass exodus of players over the last week-plus after the Knights fell out of FCBL playoff contention, but those three are three of the better players Nashua has. In fact, Vacchiano hit a a two-run homer and drove in the game-winner in the eighth inning in a 5-4 win over Westfield Thursday night before a Historic Holman Stadium crowd of 1,492.

“Can’t say enough about them,” Knights manager Nick Guarino said. “Guys that like playing baseball. Summer ball. Southern Maine, they just got a new coach in there and get guys like that. Pete’s been there four years, Vach just transferred in a year ago, they have a new culture there now and they’re supposed to be really good. And they both had good years.

“They can leave. They know that. But they’re going to stick around because they like playing baseball. As tired as they are, as much as it sucks we’re out of contention, they could leave and enjoy the last couple of weeks of the summer. But they’re like, ‘I’m going to stick around because I like to compete within the lines.’ In the clubhouse, they may not want to be here, but when they’re on the field, they want to be here. These guys are competitors.”

Same, Guarino said, for outfielder Phoenix Williams, a Division I player from Mount St. Mary. But he also has stayed.

“You know, it’s a long summer, it’s a lot of baseball,” Vacchiano said. “We’re all tired. But at the end of the day, we’re committed to this. I’d rather be here playing baseball than home working.”

Still, they could have gone to play for another league, as about five Silver Knights over the last two weeks had left for the NECBL.

But not a player like Vacchiano.

“Again, I was committed to this, I like playing here and who I’m playing with,” he said. “It’s easy to stick it through.”

STREAK SNAPPED

Nashua’s win snapped a five-game skid that killed its chances as the Knights (23-33) blew a 6-1 lead a week ago vs. Norwich when win would have put them a half game out of a spot. Last night Nashua was up 2-0 and then went down 4-2 thanks in part to two solo homers by All-Star HR Derby champ Morrie Fried.

But a three run eighth with game-tying walks issued to Peter Fischer and Mike Villani did the trick before Vacchiano’s sac fly. It was a win in relief for local product Zak Lussier (Hollis), who had perhaps his best Silver Knight outing: two scoreless, hitless innings with no walks and three strikeouts.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Guarino was asked last night if he wants to return next season for a third season at the helm.

“We’ll see,” he said. “It’s a long summer, it’s also a long fall and winter. I haven’t really thought about it yet. We’ll see.

“Who knows if they (Knights management) want me to give it another try. The end of the day you’ve got to come up here and win baseball games and I haven’t really done that. I don’t blame them either way if that’s the direction they decide to do it in. I get it.”

COOK’S MESSAGE TO FANS

Knights general manager and team owner John Creedon spoke to a pre-game buffet gathering of season ticket holders, and Cook expressed his disappointment and vowed to produce a playoff team, if not FCBLchampion, next season.

“This is supposed to be an exciting time of year (with the playoffs about to start) and it isn’t,” he told the gathering. “Tomorrow (tonight) is the last time you’ll come to Holman Stadium for nine months. … It’s a long off-season if you don’t get that extra week. …

“I promise I see the same things you do. We did things totally different this year and had the same result, which is awful. But at the same time, it lets us hone in on where it went wrong. … We know we’ve got to retain guys throughout the season or have a plan to have more guys here.”

From the original 35-40 players brought in on Memorial Day, there are just 14 players left.

“It’s going to taste so good when next year a championship is here,” Cook said, “and we’re right back where we’re supposed to be.”

FLORENCE TONIGHT, TBA SATURDAY

Josh Florence (3-3, 4.19) will get the start in tonight’s (6:03 p.m.) home finale, with Matthew Donovan (0-2, 1.61) following him in relief.

“It’s our last home game, I really want to try to win it,” Guarino said, adding he’s not sure who will go in the season finale Saturday at Vermont – or how many players will be making the trip.