BREWSTER, Mass. — The Brewster Whitecaps’ second tie of the season can only be described with mixed emotions and a chuckle of relief.
The nearly 3 1/2-hour marathon went back and forth, with the Whitecaps (15-7-2) never once taking a lead over the Falmouth Commodores. Still, clutch extra-base hits, gritty pitching performances and a never-quit attitude carried Brewster to its unlikely 7-7 tie.
The Commodores (10-11-2) had all the chances in the world. Brewster allowed baserunner after baserunner, and Falmouth did little to fully capitalize. The visitors went 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 total baserunners. This does not mean the Whitecaps had some magical comeback or statistical anomaly; rather, Brewster kept the game within a swing until it mattered most.
Fans at Stony Brook were robbed of extra innings thanks to the dying summer daylight, making Owen Jenkins’ game-tying ground-rule double a walk-off tie. The first baseman’s deep fly ball to left-center bounced just short of the fence and a walk-off win for the ’Caps, but the Texas Tech commit took no ill feelings.
“You gotta be happy with the double there and you know, can’t be selfish about it,” Jenkins said. “It’s a team game so you gotta get those two RBI’s and that was the goal.”
RBIs taste like a steak dinner to a ballplayer, and game-tying RBIs are truly medium-rare. Three Whitecaps logged RBIs, all in different moments. The home squad managed a measly 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position, but Terrence Kiel II did not need hits to score runs.
Kiel II got Brewster its first run on a ground-ball fielder’s choice in the second. Another run was scored in the inning, cutting Falmouth’s lead to one. In the eighth, a sacrifice fly cut the Whitecaps’ deficit to just two, cueing the Jenkins double an inning later. Kiel ended the day 0-for-3, but by no means was his day unproductive or anything but vital to the team’s comeback tie.
While Cash Strayer did not notch an RBI, he had one of his best games of the year, scoring two runs and reaching base three times in five plate appearances. The left-handed outfielder led off two separate innings with hits, putting pressure right back on the Commodores.
“I’m just looking to have a quality at-bat and just get on base to start the inning,” Strayer said. “Because the one thing the other team is trying to do is get the first out, and being a tough first out is what generates runs.”
The principle Strayer highlighted works both ways. In three of Falmouth’s four scoring innings, the first batter reached via the free pass. While the Whitecaps' pitching staff played well enough to keep Brewster alive, manager Jamie Shevchik noted the overwhelming number of free passes.
The Whitecaps’ tried-and-tested reliever, Zach Kmatz, had the most successful outing of the group, throwing 2 2/3 innings without giving up a run or walk. Kmatz slammed the door on the Commodores, but it was James DeCremer who held Falmouth’s offense at its most hostile.
The Arkansas right-hander threw the bulk of the game with 3 1/3 innings of work. While he gave up five hits and a walk, he also struck out four and allowed just a single run. In a game where plenty went wrong, minimising the damage and finding ways out of innings proved most valuable.
“Good teams find a way to win when they play their worst game of the year.”
On a day when Brewster never led, gave Falmouth too many free chances and still stood one swing away from stealing the whole thing, the ’Caps still left Stony Brook with a crucial point in the standings.
The Whitecaps play at Harwich at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Listen to the Whitecaps broadcast on Cape League TV or follow the game on Instagram (@brewsterwhitecaps) or X (@BrewsterCaps).
Matt Ford-Wellman can be reached at mfordwellman.media@gmail.com or on X @MattFW_4.
