Spinners Outlast Silver Knights in 10-8 Slugfest at LeLacheur Park

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The Lowell Spinners extended their winning streak to three games on Friday night, overcoming a chaotic, late-inning collapse to defeat the Nashua Silver Knights 10-8 at LeLacheur Park.

Entering the night, Nashua held a commanding 6-2 lead in the summer season series, but the surging Spinners proved they are an entirely different team at home in July.

Early Counter-Punches

The game began as a tight pitching duel between Lowell starter Jake Zawatsky and Nashua’s Will Perkowski. Perkowski was dominant early, holding the Spinners to just one hit through the first three frames.

Nashua manufactured the game’s first run in the top of the third. Jordan Welch drew a walk, stole second, and crossed the plate on a sharp infield single to the right side by Phoenix Williams.

Lowell answered right back in the bottom of the fourth, exploding for three runs. David Vandzouwen kickstarted the rally with an RBI single, which was immediately followed by a clutch, two-run single to center field off the bat of Fletcher Waterman, leaping the Spinners out to a 3-1 lead.

Trading Blows in the Fifth and Sixth

The Silver Knights chipped away in the fifth when Mason Wilson singled, stole second, and scored on a Brendan Home single. Nashua threatened to score more, but Lowell right fielder Jack Quigley executed a spectacular defensive play, throwing a laser to third base to nail Home and complete an inning-ending double play.

Lowell manufactured that run back in the bottom half of the inning via a Quinn Murphy sacrifice fly, making it 4-2.

The Starter Line: Zawatsky’s night ended after five strong innings, allowing just two earned runs on three hits while striking out three. Perkowski also went five frames for Nashua, yielding four earned runs on six hits.

In the sixth, Lowell faced Nashua reliever Brody Bump. Zander Bratspis singled, stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Peter Fischer, and scored on an RBI knock from Jack Quigley to extend the lead to 5-2.

A Chaotic Seventh Inning

The game completely inverted in the top of the seventh. Reliever Graham Gavin got into trouble, prompting Lowell manager Kevin Graber to call on Henry Herbert with the bases loaded and one out.

The Silver Knights instantly punished the move:

Phoenix Williams ripped a two-run double down the right-field line.
Hunter Troiano followed with a two-run single to left-center.

In the blink of an eye, Nashua flipped the deficit into a 6-5 lead. A throwing error by Lowell first baseman Cam Biller allowed another run to cross, capping off a deflating five-run frame for the visitors.

The Fightback

The Spinners showed incredible resilience in the bottom of the frame against Nashua’s Bryce McClelland. Quinn Murphy led off with a single, and Jordan Henriquez drove him home with a base hit. By the time the dust settled, Lowell had put up a four-spot of their own, recapturing a 9-7 lead heading into the game’s final stretch.

Slamming the Door

Lowell turned to the bullpen to lock down the final six outs:

The Setup: Josh Bryant came on in the eighth and completely shut the door on the Silver Knights, facing just four batters to earn the victory and move to 3-1 on the season.

Lowell added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth to make it 10-7. In the ninth, Anthony Mateo took the mound. Despite a fly ball error and a two-out infield single by Jordan Welch that cut the score to 10-8, Mateo induced a game-ending groundout from Tyson Gill to secure the hard-fought victory.

Postgame Reactions

Following the slugfest, Spinners manager Kevin Graber offered a mixed but ultimately positive review of his team’s performance. While he was understandably frustrated with what he described as an “ugly five-run seventh,” he praised the resilience of his roster.

Graber noted that starter Jake Zawatsky “was great” in setting the tone early, and expressed immense praise for Josh Bryant’s shutdown performance in the eighth inning to steady the ship.

Up Next: The Spinners will look to keep the momentum rolling as their heavy July home stand continues.