HARWICH, Mass. — There are two sides to every battle. While the victors often find themselves basking in glory, the vanquished can do nothing more than watch in disbelief.

The Brewster Whitecaps found themselves playing the latter role on the road at Whitehouse Field on Wednesday night.

As the Harwich Mariners mobbed their first baseman, Sean O’Leary (UMass Lowell), who sent a screaming walk-off double down the right field line in the 10th inning to advance the team into the East Divisional Final, the eliminated Whitecaps quietly sauntered away.

The bunch escaped into right field, wading deeper and deeper through the grass, as if putting distance between themselves and the scene of the crime at home plate, where second baseman Cade Kurland (LSU) scored the winning run, would change the outcome.

The Whitecaps watched the Mariners in silence, wearing dejected faces. Eventually, manager Jamie Shevchik made his way to the group for one last speech.

Tears rolled, and goodbyes were said.

No. 2-seeded Brewster (25-12-3) unquestionably had a season to be proud of. It clinched a playoff berth with 11 games left in the regular season, the quickest clinch in Shevchik’s 12 years at the helm. It fought tooth and nail to steal the No. 1 seed from the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, finishing just four points behind. Even with its back up against the wall in an elimination game, it fought hard until the bitter end, just falling to No. 2-seeded Harwich 6-5 in game two of the East Divisional Series.

Even with the journey now over, the memories will last forever in the minds of the players and coaching staff.

“It might be one of the best groups of guys I've ever been around in summer baseball,” Shevchik said. “You have guys, in a silly summer league, that are crying on the field. They’re crying for a reason, and they’re not crying because they lost the game. They're out here crying because you know these guys connected with some really good friends and some good people.”

It all came to an abrupt end for the Whitecaps with right-handed reliever Nate Taylor (Vanderbilt), who described the walk-off double as “part of baseball,” on the mound.

Taylor entered the game in the 10th inning and was greeted by Mariners shortstop Tyler Smolinski (Kansas State), who was honored with the CCBL Most Valuable Player award pregame.

Taylor fought hard against Smolinski, and the Wildcat battled right back. It took 11 pitches, but eventually Taylor was able to freeze his foe, earning strike three. Kurland followed and didn’t make the pitcher’s life any easier, working a full count. It was then that Taylor ran into his first real problem: communication.

The PitchCom-like device that usually relays signs to the pitcher wasn’t working, forcing the Whitecaps to go old school with hand signals. Taylor thought he got the sign to deliver a changeup, which he hadn’t yet thrown, relying on his fastball and slider up to that point in the outing.

Taylor, after the fact, said he believes he was meant to throw another fastball, but he indeed tossed his first changeup of the night, which missed up. With Kurland on first, the stage was set for O’Leary to golf a 1-2 slider down the right field line for the deciding knock.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pissed off,” Taylor said. “I wanted to make a run and win a Cape League Championship with these guys. At the same time, I’m extremely grateful. I just told Shev I want to be back here next summer and just told him ‘thank you.’ This was one of the best summers of my life, if not the best summer I've ever had.”

While Harwich did eventually earn the victory, the game was forced into extra innings by Brewster’s persistence.

After Whitecaps starting pitcher Tate DeRias (Baylor) gave up a three-run home run in the fourth inning, the offense bounced right back, with designated hitter Eddie Yamin (LSU) launching a three-run shot of his own, tying the game.

“Eddie’s home run was electric,” Taylor said. “We had zero doubt in Eddie whatsoever. We knew he was going to come through today. The vibes were good.”

Yamin’s home run was his first of the postseason, and occurred on the first pitch of his at-bat. With runners first and second with no outs, he expected to receive the signal to bunt on his watch, but it never came. With the freedom to be himself at the plate, he didn’t miss his pitch.

“I was about to hit (the bunt sign),” Shevchik said. “Then I hit no sign instead of the bunt, and it paid off for him.”

The fifth inning offense didn’t stop there for Brewster, as catcher Jacob Lee (Virginia Commonwealth) brought home a fourth run to give his team a momentary lead. The team tacked another run on the board in the seventh, and even when Harwich came back in the bottom of the frame to score two more, the Whitecaps were able to stop the bleeding, leading to a tense stalemate.

Then, of course, came the bottom of the 10th.

“We left it all out there,” Shevchik said. “We just came up on the wrong end, but these guys worked their a—- off, and they didn’t quit.”

Despite knowing that he and his teammates gave it their all, Lee, who grew into one of the Whitecaps leaders after spending the entire summer with the team and capturing its MVP award, couldn’t help but think that his side was “a couple situations away from winning that game.”

Brewster left the bases loaded in both the ninth and 10th innings, failing to score a run in either frame. One knock in either opportunity could’ve changed the outcome Wednesday. On the pitching side, two walks in the fourth inning preceded the eventual home run, and the game’s winning run reached on a free pass as well.

“We had 13 hits, so obviously that wasn’t the problem,” Lee said. “I think it was just situationally, and the walks killed us. They killed us all year. … Nate did a great job; there’s nothing that you want more from Nate there, but you kill the walk, that’s only a double, and it's still tied with a run on second and one out.”

Lee was visibly emotional postgame, holding back tears as he talked to the media. He was one of just three players, alongside right-handers Jordan Regulski (Duke) and Zack Kmatz (Oregon State), to spend their entire summer in Brewster, with no breaks from the team.

For Lee, the Whitecaps had grown into more than just a team; it was truly a family, with a local community supporting it. He had completely bought into Brewster and its brand of baseball, and while his memories of the summer will be with him forever, the 6-5 loss robbed him of the opportunity to create more.

“It’s how the game was intended to be created,” Lee said. “There’s no politics. There’s no coaches recruiting people. It’s not your school ball. It’s not professional baseball. It's just a town rallying around 35 guys for a whole summer. It’s so pure in that way, and that’s why it’s so awesome.

“Not really upset that it’s over, just (that) those people aren’t going to be in your life immediately like they were the last three months. That’s why I’m emotional.”