Keep them off the bases. Play well defensively. Get two-out base hits.

It’s all part of a winning formula for the Nashua Silver Knights, who beat the Worcester Bravehearts 9-4 on Wednesday night. Putting runs on the board early is part of that formula, manager B.J. Neverett said, and it was part of the win at Holman Stadium.

Scoring first allows a team a certain amount of confidence for the rest of the game. When the Silver Knights hit three singles and a home run in the bottom of the first to take a 4-0 lead, that confidence was clear.

“That was big to get ahead,” Neverett said. “We got a big two-out hit. We haven’t had a lot of those this season. It was good to see.”

In the inning, Nashua capitalized off of two wild pitches thrown by Worcester starter Connor Lehmann. In familiar fashion, Nashua, with three singles and a walk, tacked on two runs in the third inning -- runs that carried significant importance, especially when the Bravehearts scored two in the next frame.

“Every run we score is significant,” Neverett said. “As long as we stay ahead, we’re in good shape. Getting out early like that, 4-0, was pretty big. It’s how we need to play.”

Nashua scored their last three runs on a bases-clearing double ripped to deep center field, but even in the win, the Silver Knights missed some of their chances. In the fourth, Nashua had runners on first and second but recorded three consecutive outs to end the inning.

Worcester threatened in the fifth and seventh innings, but the Silver Knights narrowly escaped both jams. The Bravehearts scored their only runs in the eighth off of a two-run home run.

Wednesday’s game was scheduled to be the fifth in a stretch of nine consecutive matchups for the Silver Knights. Both Monday’s and Tuesday’s games were rained out, providing Nashua extra rest in perhaps the toughest stretch of the season.

For Nashua, the break doesn’t mean much, even though it provided the team’s first set of back-to-back wins since July 11th and 12th.

“We’re just gonna play,” Neverett said. “We’re just trying to make the playoffs and do the best we can.”