ORLEANS, Mass. — Following the Brewster Whitecaps’ postgame huddle, James DeCremer (Oregon State) slowly shuffled over to the dugout. Fresh off his first start of the season, his somber mood would’ve suggested it had gone horribly wrong. That his mistakes alone on the mound had cost the Whitecaps a very winnable game.

That wasn’t the case. Not by a long shot. In fact, it was his strong start that gave the Whitecaps a chance through the first five innings that night. DeCremer’s two hits, one earned run and seven strikeouts had been one of the few bright spots for his team amid a “down day” as manager Jamie Shevchik described it.

While DeCremer’s self-deprecation may not have been entirely warranted, Shevchik felt it reflected a mentality he wants all his players to have.

“I love that. I love guys who take losing personally,” Shevchik said of DeCremer’s disappointment after the game. “That’s the culture that we’re trying to instill. Our job is to win the damn game.”

For the first time in over a week, the Whitecaps (14-9-1) didn’t do their job Sunday night against the Firebirds (11-11-2). Despite holding a slim lead to open the sixth inning thanks to DeCremer’s solid outing, everything went off the rails for Brewster once the righty was replaced on the mound. Usually one of its greatest strengths, the Whitecaps’ bullpen collapsed across the sixth and seventh — surrendering three singles, three doubles and a handful of walks that altogether flipped a 2-1 edge into a six-run deficit. Just as quickly as its bullpen had been silenced, so too were almost all of Brewster’s bats the remainder of the contest, resulting in an 8-3 defeat.

Following four of their past five wins, Brewster has seen their starting pitcher that night released hours later, making way for new talented arms to come into the fold one roster spot at a time. Just as much talent has emerged from its batting order, where recent adds and veterans alike have quickly realized their potential as dependable momentum-shifters.

Rather than hold the team back as they get their feet beneath them, Brewster’s new additions have instead championed their success as of late. New arrivals like Brendan Lawson (Florida), Ryan Martin (Dallas Baptist) and Cal Fisher (Florida State) among others have wasted no time making an impact — contributing 21 RBIs and 27 hits combined so far. Lawson’s team-high three homers even earned him an All-Star Game selection and a spot in the event’s Home Run Contest alongside teammate Carson Tinney (Texas).

Sunday’s matchup presented yet another opportunity for Brewster’s fresh faces to captain it to victory over Orleans. But besides DeCremer’s debut, those new arrivals fell silent as its veterans picked up the slack.

The first to do so was Adam Magpoc (San Diego State), who Shevchik placed at the top of the order for the first time this year. Usually relied upon to swipe bases and generate runs all by himself as a small but speedy baserunner, Magpoc suddenly broke character. On the second pitch he faced, he slammed a leadoff home run over the right-field fence — further cementing himself as Brewster’s “Swiss army knife”.

“I hope it doesn’t go to his head, because that’s not who he is,” Shevchik said of Magpoc’s leadoff homer. “If we’re going to do anything in the future, he’s got to be a spark plug that doesn’t carry us, but certainly gets us moving.”

But he didn’t stop there. After recording Brewster’s lone hit in the third frame, he tacked on another base hit in the top of the sixth to bring home Collin Priest (Clemson) and restore the Whitecaps’ edge, 2-1. In true Magpoc fashion, he stole his way to third base moments later to bring him up to 15 steals in 2025 — tied for first in the league.

Because of Magpoc’s heroics, the Whitecaps felt comfortable turning to their bullpen from the bottom of the sixth inning on in an effort to close out the contest. They had every reason to be. Throughout its five-game winning streak heading into Sunday, Brewster’s bullpen had given up just two earned runs combined — a large reason why it had gone on as long as it did. But against the Firebirds, the group looked completely lost from the first pitch.

It started with Brady Louck (Florida State), who allowed all seven of the batters he faced to reach base through a series of singles, doubles, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Once Shevchik gave him the hook, Matthew Jenkins (Florida) entered briefly and finally stopped the bleeding, but it didn’t last. Orleans padded their lead with two more runs in the seventh to all but put the game out of reach for the Whitecaps, who now trailed 8-2.

Besides Magpoc, another veteran who stepped up for Brewster amid a tough night for its bullpen and its offense was Tinney. Since snapping out of a 16-day hitting funk in the first half of the season, the Longhorn has proven just as vital for the Whitecaps behind the plate as he has on the dish.

As Brewster’s bullpen faltered further and further, Tinney rolled with the punches. Even though he was dealt multiple pitches that fell inches outside the strike zone, Tinney limited the damage to just two wild pitches — a small fraction of what the total could’ve been. In the bottom of the sixth, he put the cherry on top of his defensive masterpiece with a beautiful cutoff throw to second base. But even his best efforts weren’t enough to salvage the contest for Brewster.

In the next half inning, he gave his club something positive to take into the off day with a garbage time solo homer in the top of the eighth. The strike marked his second of the campaign and capped off his most complete outing of the summer, one that Shevchik said postgame he saw coming a mile away.

“I told him in the dugout today I had the feeling today was gonna be that breakout day,” Shevchik said of Tinney. “A home run in the opposite field was a good way to get him started, but he shuts down the run game (on defense). He’s really good back there.”

It’s funny the difference a year can make. At this point last season, securing just one victory — let alone multiple — was a monumental task for Brewster amid an abysmal 7-14-2 month of July. Fast forward to today, and triumph has become more of a habit than an accomplishment for these Whitecaps.

If this season’s version of the team has proven anything so far, it’s that its players know how to put losses like this one — no matter how disheartening — quickly into the rearview mirror.

“We gotta get right back into the win column on Tuesday, it’s really important,” Shevchik said. “We gotta get that feeling back of what it’s like to win a baseball game and come out with a different energy and a different mindset.”

Title photo credit: Casey Bayne