Home Run Derby at LeLacheur: Nashua Launches Six Bombs to Down Spinners, 17-9

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The Lowell Spinners hosted the Nashua Silver Knights for game three of their five-game homestand in front of a stellar crowd of 2,674 fans. Entering the night with a 2-1 record on the homestand, the Spinners found themselves in a critical stretch, sitting five games back in the loss column for the final playoff spot. Unfortunately for the home crowd, the contest quickly devolved into an old-school slugfest, with Nashua riding a six-homer barrage to a commanding 17-9 victory.

The Pitching Matchup

Lowell: Left-hander Caden Smith made his ninth appearance of the summer. He entered the game with a 3.38 ERA over 32.0 innings pitched.
Nashua: The Silver Knights countered with Nigel Cross, making his seventh appearance of the season with a sharp 2.42 ERA across 22.1 innings.

Inning-by-Inning Breakdown

Early Fireworks

Lowell wasted no time getting to Cross in the bottom of the first inning. Cam Biller ignited the offense by launching a majestic two-run home run completely over the video board in left field—his second blast of the summer—to give the Spinners an early 2-0 lead.

Nashua answered immediately in the top of the second. Mason Campagna crushed a two-run homer of his own to left field, clanging it directly off the scoreboard. One batter later, Ben Peterson followed suit, driving a solo shot deep into the left-field trees to instantly flip the score to 3-2 in favor of the Silver Knights.

The Fourth-Inning Avalanche

The wheels came off for Lowell’s pitching staff in the fourth. Caden Smith surrendered his third home run of the night, a solo shot to Nashua’s No. 9 hitter, Brendan Home. A subsequent base hit by Hunter Troiano officially ended Smith’s night on the mound.

Henry Hebert took over out of the Spinners’ bullpen but was greeted rudely by Peter Kebinsky, who hammered a two-run home run to left—the fifth combined homer of the game. By the time the frame concluded, Nashua had sent six runs across the plate to break the game open at 9-2.

Lowell attempted to chip away in the bottom half of the frame against Nashua reliever Brody Bump. Sean Canavan lined a clutch RBI double to center field to make it 9-3, and the Spinners kept the momentum rolling into the fifth, scoring three more runs to narrow the deficit to a competitive 9-6. However, Campagna halted the bleeding for Nashua in the sixth with an RBI single, stretching the lead back to 10-6.

Nashua Blows It Open in the Eighth

The top of the eighth inning turned into a nightmare scenario for the Spinners’ defense as Nashua exploded for seven runs.

Back-to-back doubles by Peter Kebinsky and Jordan Welch pushed the score to 11-7.
Mason Wilson dropped an RBI single into play to make it 12-7.
Mason Campagna capped off his monstrous night by launching his second home run of the game off the scoreboard, a two-run blast that extended the lead to 14-7.
Connor Smith delivered the final blow of the rally, punishing the scoreboard yet again with a three-run home run to push the Nashua advantage to a staggering 17-7.

Lowell fought to keep the game alive in the bottom of the eighth, scratching across two runs to pull back to 17-9, but the mountain was simply too high to climb.

Box Score Standouts

Nashua Silver Knights

Mason Campagna: 4-for-5, 3 Runs Scored, 5 RBIs, 2 HRs
Mason Wilson: 2-for-4, 1 RBI
Connor Smith: 3-run HR
Peter Kebinsky: 2-run HR, 1 Double

Lowell Spinners

Cam Biller: 2-run HR (1st Inning)
Sean Canavan: RBI Double (4th Inning)

Postgame Reflection: Accountability in the Clubhouse

While Spinners Manager Kevin Graber was highly appreciative of the 2,674 fans who packed LeLacheur Park, he was thoroughly displeased with his team’s performance. Characterizing the contest as a literal “home run derby,” Graber expressed heavy frustration with the defense’s inability to catch the baseball and an overall lack of hustle on the diamond.

The frustration boiled over into disciplinary action in the sixth inning. Catcher Fletcher Waterman struck out and failed to run the ball out to first base; he was immediately benched for the remainder of the game due to a lack of effort. Graber confirmed that a serious, closed-door conversation took place in the clubhouse immediately following the final whistle to reset expectations moving forward.

What’s Next?

The Spinners have no time to dwell on the loss as they wrap up the weekend. They will look to bounce back and salvage the homestand on Sunday evening against Norwich, with the first pitch scheduled for 5:00 PM.