James Tibbs (LSU) high-fiving third-base coach Scott Grimes after hitting a decisive three-run blast in the fifth. Photo credit: Sadie Parker
By Mark Rappaport
YARMOUTH––Red Wilson Field had not been kind to the Whitecaps in their first two games this season. In the third game of the young season, Brewster fell 6-4 to the Red Sox, and the first day of July was not the nicest either, as they lost 3-2.
Tuesday was a drastically different story.
The Brewster Whitecaps (12-18-2) had the bats going in Yarmouth, recording a season-high 17 hits in a momentous 15-8 win over the first-place Red Sox (17-13-1).
“We’ve proven that we could beat anybody, and I just hope that we can just keep rolling this along,” manager Jamie Shevchik said. “I’m just happy for everybody. It just goes to show that everybody on this team is really good.”
Brewster’s reinvigorated offense led the show, scoring a run in every inning but the eighth and had no problem knocking in runs with runners in scoring position.
It was an all-around effort for the Whitecaps, headlined by Florida State teammates James Tibbs and Jaime Ferrer. Tibbs was 2-for-5 on the night with a home run and four RBI, while Ferrer was 3-for-5 on the night and reached base five times.
“I felt really good. I’ve been working on a few things, and being able to execute them on the field is everything that I worked for,” Ferrer said.
Ferrer throwing a dart back into the infield in the midst of his best night of the season so far. Photo credit: Sadie Parker
Brewster’s bats got working early in the first inning and did not look back. They got their first run off an RBI double by the Whitecaps’ hottest bat, Josh Pearson (LSU), scoring Tibbs from first base.
Brewster expanded their lead in the second off three hits to lead off the frame. Will Turner (South Alabama) and Ike Irish (Auburn) singled to give Ferrer (LSU) a pivotal chance to knock in a few runs. Ferrer came through for his club, launching a long double to center to score Turner and Irish, giving Brewster an early 3-0 advantage.
Then, the Whitecaps added a run in each of the next two innings. Pearson scored in the fourth off a double by Davis Diaz (Vanderbilt) and Turner’s RBI groundout. In the fifth, Ferrer led off the frame with his second double of the contest and scored off Tibbs’ RBI single.
There was no shortage of controversy Tuesday evening as the umpires stole the show for the second straight night. With two outs and Whitecaps starter Darien Smith (Southeastern) dealing on the mound in the third, a pitch seemed to foul off of the home plate umpire and towards Yarmouth-Dennis’ dugout.
However, Will Gleed (UC Irvine) strode towards home, thinking that the ball was a wild pitch. The umpires agreed and gave the Red Sox its first run of the ballgame.
The fourth inning took a sharp turn, with Brewster ahead 5-1 going into the bottom half of the frame. The Red Sox batted around and scored five runs to take a 6-5 lead, headlined by Casey Cook’s (North Carolina) two-RBI single to tie the game.
After three strong innings to begin his night, Smith struggled to get out of the fourth and gave up five runs in the frame. Smith finished his debut with 3.2 innings pitched and gave up six runs on four hits and three walks.
After giving up their lead, the Whitecaps retaliated in the best way possible with a five-run inning. Diaz led off the inning with a long blast to center to tie the game at six runs apiece. Then, Brewster retook the lead off a Mason White (Arizona) RBI single.
Diaz launches a nuke to center to tie the ballgame in the fifth. Video credit: Mark Mincoletti
With two runners on base, TIbbs launched a bomb of his own, blowing the game wide open to give the Whitecaps a 10-6 lead, which proved significant at night’s end.
“Everything felt pretty good and felt like I’ve seen it well for the most part,” Tibbs said. “I was glad we got a good win against a really good team.”
However, Brewster was not satisfied with just ten runs on nine hits, as they knocked on five more in the final four innings, headlined by White’s two-RBI single in the sixth inning amid his five-RBI night.
In the eighth—as if the night could not get more interesting—the Red Sox brought their everyday third baseman Max Viera (Seton Hall) to pitch, even though they only trailed by five runs in a game in which they had scored eight. Viera walked two but recorded YD’s first scoreless frame. He also pitched the ninth and gave up two walks in that inning along with two runs but did not give up a hit in his outing.
When all was said and done, the Whitecaps broke out for 15 runs on 17 hits, a decisive victory against the first-place Red Sox, who mustered eight runs of their own on nine hits.
“I think we are talented enough to do that on a nightly basis. It just hasn’t shown up 100% of the time, and I hope it does from here on out,” assistant coach Scott Grimes said. “It’s good to see us being on the barrel, swinging at good pitches, and just executing the plan all the way through for nine innings was awesome.”
Brewster looks to continue their offensive outburst Wednesday evening at home at Stony Brook Field in a matchup with Ryan Smyth’s Wareham Gateman at 5 p.m.