By Maxwell Paul McLaughlin
Harwich, M.A. – It was a Fourth of July tie between the Whitecaps and Mariners in their annual holiday game.
After a huge offensive day Sunday, the Whitecaps only had three hits and one run. The Whitecaps were also outhit in the game 8-3.
“It was the tale of two drastically different teams today; luckily, our pitching showed up today,” Whitecaps manager Jamie Shevchik said. “Today, we were opposite of the last game.”
The Whitecaps got on the board right away in the first inning. Alex Freeland (UCF) stole second base, and an errand throw moved him to third; Freeland then caught the Harwich defense napping and took home.
Henry Leake (Boston College) started for the Whitecaps and worked out of trouble in the first two innings. However, in the third, the Mariners got a run on the board off a sacrifice fly.
Leake finished with three strikeouts, allowed five hits, and walked three batters in 3.2 innings.
Ryan Chasse (Campbell) then came in for relief and struck out four in 2.2 innings. “He’s really good, and I feel like we need to use him more than a closer,” Shevchik said.
Carson Liggett (Louisville) and Paul Gervase (LSU) both came in relief after Chasse and worked a combined three innings.
The Whitecaps didn’t threaten all game until the top of the ninth, where they got the first two guys on with no outs. Even though they got the runners on, they could not push any runs across.
Things then got nervewracking in the bottom of the ninth for the Whitecaps as the Mariners loaded the bases with one out. Paul Gervase (LSU) was able to shake it off and get the next two outs to keep the game a tie.
It’s a tough day for a team that looked like they were going to get hot with the bats after scoring sixteen runs in the previous game.
The Whitecaps will now play a makeup game on Tuesday against the Orleans Firebirds.