CHATHAM, Mass. — As fog continued to expand across Veteran’s Field, the Whitecaps sat despondent in the dugout as they waited out the 30-minute delay. The pause couldn’t have come at a worse time for Brewster.

After being held hitless through the first four innings by Chatham ace JT Quinn (Georgia), the Whitecaps offense had snatched back momentum via three singles in the top of the fifth. Now trailing just 2-1, they were suddenly right back in it. The chance to tie the game and even jump ahead was there. All Brewster had to do was find a way capitalize like they had done time and time again.

Unfortunately, it never got the chance. Following a moment of deliberation between the umpires, their verdict only confirmed both teams’ suspicions. The game was finally called due to the unending fog, leaving fans in attendance with a sudden cliffhanger that Whitecaps manager Jamie Shevchik said he’s rarely experienced. As the Anglers high-fived and celebrated the unorthodox victory, all the Whitecaps could do was think about what could’ve been.

“I don’t know what our record is in fog games, but it sucks when you get into a one-run game and lose because of Mother Nature,” Shevchik said postgame.

In search of just their second win in their past six contests, the Whitecaps (7-5, 1-3 Eastern Division) instead endured another frustrating loss at Chatham (4-5-3, 1-1-1 East Division). Before the on-field conditions cut the game short, the Whitecaps’ bats were kept in check for much of the night by Quinn’s masterful outing. At the other end, two first-inning runs by the Anglers proved too much for Brewster to recover from.

Besides its sound win over Hyannis a few days ago, the Whitecaps had yet to return to the brand of baseball that carried them to a 6-0 start as of late. Throwing errors were now commonplace. Challenging opposing teams with ground balls had suddenly become a rarity, which was reflected by Brewster’s lowly 74 groundouts — the least of any team before Saturday.

But coming off a low-scoring affair against Wareham, a date with the Anglers at Veterans’ Field presented a prime opportunity for the Whitecaps to right the ship. Heading into the matchup, the Anglers’ bullpen had allowed the second-most hits (90) in the CCBL. At the same time, the foggy, mist-covered outfield gave both sides’ batters a slight advantage.

The stage seemed set for the Whitecaps to put on a clinic. But first, they fell into the same old habits, even with a new arm on the mound in Trevor Hansen (UC Irvine).

After allowing a base hit and consecutive walks, he quickly found himself in hot water in the bottom of the first. In search of the final out with the bases filled, Hansen opted to try and fill the strike zone as soon as possible with his patented fastball, but Jackson Freeman (Northwestern) quickly caught on. He roped a double into deep left field on the second pitch he faced, scoring two and giving Hansen a rough welcome to the Cape League.

“(Hansen)’s a brand new guy. The guys that have been here I think have heard it multiple times already that one bad pitch and one walk can ultimately cost you a game. He saw that for the first time (tonight),” Shevchik said.

But the first inning proved to be the worst of Hansen’s day on the bump. Despite the early blunder, he regained control throughout the next pair of innings until Lance Davis (Arkansas) took over in the fourth. The duo finished the day with a combined three strikeouts and five hits, backed by an errorless outing from Brewster’s defense.

At the other end, Chatham’s Quinn put on a one-man show. In likely his final start of the campaign, he made sure to go out with a bang. Sporting a lethal arsenal of off-speed pitches, he sent the Whitecaps down in order in four straight innings and racked up nine strikeouts, including 12 whiffs. Brewster’s bats finally broke through in the fifth, but the sequence placed only a small blemish on his highlight-reel night.

“For three innings or so he was dominating us, he was virtually unhittable. We made some contact, but it was weak,” Shechik said of Quinn. “I thought it was by far the best arm that we’ve seen throughout the Cape.”

For Brewster, Shevchik said one of the positives to take away from such an unsatisfying night was Cal Fisher’s (Florida State) strong first impression.

Flying out on his first at bat, Fisher stormed back late in the contest with an RBI single to give Brewster’s offense a much-needed jolt. Following a strong sophomore season with the Seminoles where he batted .303, notched 57 hits and 37 RBI, it’s clear Shevchik expects big things from him now that Daniel Cuvet (Miami) has departed.

But logging hits hasn’t come as easily for certain other members of the Whitecaps’ lineup. Although he’s struggled at the plate this season, Carson Tinney (Texas) was once again tasked with the designated hitter spot Saturday. With just one hit on the season — a solo homer at Falmouth back on June 15 — he was given another chance against Chatham to snap out of his funk.

Even though Tinney's drought continued against the Anglers, Shevchik made it clear postgame he still has full confidence in his hitting ability. For now, the Whitecaps' skipper stated the plan is just to continue feeding him the bat.

“If we’re gonna do anything in July or later in July, (Tinney) has to be part of the lineup,” Shevchik said. “He’s not gonna get any better by sitting on the bench. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”

The Whitecaps were in desperate need of an all-around victory to show they had put both their offensive and defensive woes behind them. But on Saturday, they simply weren't given enough time to turn over a new leaf.

Title photo credit: Casey Bayne.