BREWSTER, Mass. — On Friday, Brewster stormed into enemy territory and ripped the crown right off Yarmouth-Dennis’ head, reclaiming first place in the East. With their fire reignited and the league’s best record in hand, the Whitecaps sent a clear message—they’re the team to beat.

That message carries weight because of everything it took to get here. Brewster’s season has been a rollercoaster—opening with a franchise-best six-game win streak, stumbling through a 1-5 stretch, bouncing back with two wins, then hitting another skid with three losses in four games. But now, with the roster settling and continuity taking hold, the Whitecaps’ recent surge feels less like an early-season flash and more like a true turning point.

Part of that shift stems from how Brewster responded to adversity. The rough patch included back-to-back games against Harwich—a rain-shortened tie and a blowout loss. Barely a week later, head coach Jamie Shevchik says those struggles are behind them. The mindset has shifted, the momentum is back, and the focus is all forward.

On Saturday, Brewster made that clear: after allowing 13 hits in their previous Harwich matchup, the pitching staff tightened up fiercely, yielding just two hits as Trevor Hansen (UC Irvine) dominated with six scoreless innings. Meanwhile, Brewster (14-8-1) rode aggressive baserunning and timely power—swiping five bags and racking up three extra-base hits—to a commanding 5–0 shutout of the Mariners (10-9-3), their fifth straight win.

“I think that loss seems like it was a month ago,” Shevchik said. “These guys—when you win four or five in a row—that's a credit to a good team. I think when you get beat up like that, man, you can bury your head in the dirt and get steamrolled for the next couple of games. But these guys forgot about it. The good thing about the Cape is you have to play baseball games almost every day. Forget about the one behind you and look forward to the one in front of you.”

It marked Brewster’s second shutout in their last three games. During the current win streak, they’ve allowed just 2.2 runs per game—a stark contrast from earlier stretches where shaky pitching gave the ‘Caps little room to rally. This week, the script has flipped: the arms are setting the tone, and the red-hot bats are following.

Leading the charge in Brewster’s rematch against the Mariners was the right-hander Hansen — and it would be his final start with the Whitecaps. Hansen’s season had been a mixed bag; his previous outing came in Cotuit, where Brewster’s pitching staff was overwhelmed, allowing a league-high 19 runs. While Hansen wasn’t solely to blame, wins had been elusive. But on Saturday, Hansen left on a high note.

He delivered six flawless shutout innings — the longest outing by any Brewster starter this season — facing just five base runners and allowing only two singles. One hit came with two outs in the third, but Hansen erased the threat by picking off the runner before a second pitch in the next at-bat. The second hit came at the last out of his outing, but outfielder Adam Magpoc’s (San Diego State) perfect throw stopped the runner from advancing, preserving the shutout.

Hansen struck out seven batters, including four across the fourth and fifth innings, showcasing precision and control that erased earlier struggles and energized Brewster moving forward.

Shevchik said, “I think this might be the third ‘Pitcher of the Week’ in a row. These guys are saving their best for last. They leave on a high note—and they leave no doubts behind.”

Shutout pitching has its perks—chief among them, not needing an offensive outburst to win. That’s especially true in the Cape, where every run feels earned. Harwich’s arms were better than the scoreline suggests, but Brewster found just enough cracks to push five across, leaning on timely swings and heads-up baserunning.

It started in the third. Magpoc led off with a single and advanced to third on a Brendan Lawson (Florida) double—his sixth extra-base hit in just nine games. A wild pitch from Toby Twist (Oregon) brought Magpoc home, and Cal Fisher (Florida State) followed with a sac fly to plate Lawson, giving him nine RBIs in his first 11 appearances.

With Hansen cruising, Brewster kept doing what they’ve done all year: tacking on. Their .743 OPS when leading—third-best in the Cape—held up in the fifth, when two walks and a hit-by-pitch set the table for Alex Sosa (Miami). He chopped a grounder to first that deflected off the glove, and beat it out to bring home another run.

“I think, us as an offense, we kind of have an identity of being that team that can bang you around when you're making mistakes,” Carson Kerce (Georgia Tech) said. “And I think that's been something our coaches have really emphasized—getting our A swings off in power counts, being grinders, and choosing straight counts.”

That cushion may not have even been necessary. Brewster could’ve loaded the bases the rest of the way and still walked out with the win—because once Hansen handed it off, Harwich was done. The bullpen shut the door, and no one slammed it harder than LSU’s Mavrick Rizy.

Shevchik joked postgame, “It’s safe to say if there’s a lead and he’s in, it’s probably safe.” And on this night, it wasn’t just safe—it was over. Rizy struck out five of the six batters he faced in a dominant two-inning save, mixing wipeout sliders with 96 MPH fastballs painted on the black. It didn’t feel like relief work—it felt like a closer claiming his role. With each pitch, Rizy looked every bit the future pro, pairing velocity with command and confidence.

“Very unfair. I mean, he made hitters look silly,” Shevchik said. “When you go up there trying to guess to be on time to hit a 98-mile-an-hour fastball, and it spins a breaker… it just looked like a man amongst boys, right? He's that good. Obviously, I'm happy that he's on this team.”

Saturday’s dominant win added another impressive chapter to Brewster’s season: five straight victories, three in a row against division rivals, and back-to-back wins over the second- and third-place teams. Now boasting a league-best 8-2 record against teams over .500, Brewster is carving out a clear path forward. With every win, the possibility of greatness edges closer—ready to be seized.

Title photo credit: Kayla McCullough.