Pearson alert and ready in the outfield incase something comes his way. Photo credit: Sadie Parker
By Mark Rappaport
HYANNIS—Fog again? Brewster won 7-1 Wednesday evening amid the fog, but it could not save the Whitecaps this time further west in Hyannis.
On a foggy and misty Saturday evening, the Brewster Whitecaps (9-13-2) fell to the Hyannis Harbor Hawks (11-11-1) in a fog-shortened seven-inning game.
The Whitecaps got down early but came back to tie the ballgame in the seventh. However, Brewster did not score multiple runs in any inning, and their mistakes ended up costing them in the end, partly due to 10 strikeouts.
“Ultimately, in a way, [the offense] let us down,” manager Jamie Shevchik said. “Strikeouts are the ultimate neutralizer, where you know you’re never going to score runs from your punch out.”
In the bottom of the fourth, Brewster southpaw Javyn Pimental (Missouri) struggled with his command and walked Cameron Smith (Florida State) and Alex Lane (Northeastern) to lead off the inning to give the Harbor Hawks a chance to take an early lead.
Hyannis capitalized as Jonathan Gazdar (Austin Peay), launched an RBI single to score Smith. Then, Eric Snow (South Florida) launched a single, scoring Lane and Gazdar to give Hyannis an early 3-0 lead.
When all was said and done, Pimental pitched four innings, allowing three runs off three hits and three walks alongside five punchouts. Pimental’s start was eerily similar to his start last Friday in Falmouth as he started hot and then struggled in his second time through the batting order.
“He cruised through three innings and got into the fourth inning…both those walks ended up scoring and kind of put us in a hole early,” Shevchik said. “We talked about some of the adjustments he has to make and I think he’s smart enough, he’s a good enough of a competitor to go out there and do that the next time.”
Pimental amidst his start Saturday evening in Hyannis. Photo credit: Sadie Parker
The Whitecaps retaliated with a run of their own in the top of the fifth off an RBI single by Michael Robinson (Florida), scoring Jaime Ferrer (Florida State). With two runners in scoring position and the top of the order on base, Brewster had an excellent chance to add a few runs but could not muster a much-needed rally.
In the bottom of the fifth, Drake Quinn (Marist) was wild and walked three in the frame. Brewster’s defense did not help, either, as two wild pitches and two passed balls allowed Hyannis to tack on a run to extend their lead to 4-1.
In the top of the sixth, Brewster tacked on two runs as an error allowed Josh Pearson (LSU) to score and then Brock Tibbitts (Indiana) scored off an RBI fielder’s choice by Payton Green (Georgia Tech). In the seventh, the Whitecaps tied the ballgame 4-4 off a long sacrifice fly to right, scoring Will Turner (South Alabama).
Just as Brewster tied the game, Hyannis struck back with a vengeance in the bottom of the inning. Nick Mitchell (Western Illinois) led off the frame with a triple and scored off a sacrifice fly. Smith singled to continue the rally and eventually scored off another wild pitch to extend the lead to 6-4.
Then, with two outs in the inning and the fog building up, Gazdar launched a routine pop up to center field, which neither the center fielder Turner nor the right fielder Ferrer could spot. The ball dropped amid the misty fog, allowing Austin Kelly (Lipscomb) to score and Gazdar to reach third base.
After that debacle, the umpires stopped the game, which was eventually called due to the fog.
“We knew the game was gonna be over right there,” Shevchik said. “Maybe in the eight years that I’ve been here, I’ve only been part of one or two fog delays, to see it now twice in a week. I haven’t seen that.”
Ultimately, Brewster’s own mistakes came back to bite them Saturday evening as they left eight runners on base in just seven innings and were unable to capitalize when they had runners in scoring position. The Whitecaps’ defense did them no favors either, as two misplays allowed Hyannis to score two runs they would not have otherwise.
Brewster looks to get back into the win column Sunday evening at home against the Bourne Braves, with the first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m. at Stony Brook Field.