BREWSTER, Mass. — Jake Lambdin ranged behind second base and snagged Charlie Lapp’s ground ball with a web gem up the middle. The shortstop spun and fired to first for the out, but the play pulled him too far from home to stop Casey Cumiskey from scoring the Orleans’ Firebirds fifth and game-deciding run.
The Firebirds (14-24) built their winning run without driving a ball beyond the infield. Cumiskey opened the ninth with a single, Tyler Harmony reached on a bunt and Brendan Buecker moved both runners into scoring position. The Brewster Whitecaps intentionally walked Rowan Kelly to load the bases, bringing Lapp, Orleans’ No. 8 hitter, to the plate.
Lambdin prevented another hit and recorded the second out, but Cumiskey crossed safely before Brewster (25-11-3) could make a play at the plate. The run completed Orleans’ three-inning comeback and handed the Whitecaps a 5-4 loss Saturday at Stony Brook Field.
“We walked the eight hitter four times,” manager Jamie Shevchik said. “I think he was a bullpen catcher the whole year and we walked him four times… We walked the nine-hitter, I think we hit the nine-hitter, Orleans just had too much.”
The loss dropped Brewster to eleven losses and secured the Whitecaps the No. 2 seed in the East Division. After spending much of the summer within reach of first-place Yarmouth-Dennis, Brewster conceded the East Division title to the Red Sox and kicked three of their four games in the process.
Lapp, whom Shevchik said spent much of the season as a bullpen catcher, walked four times, scored twice and drove home the deciding run. The nine-hitter Garrett Larsen also reached on a walk and a hit-by-pitch, giving the bottom of the Firebirds’ order six free trips to first base.
Dominic Cadiz (UCLA) doubled and scored on a Casey Cumiskey (Southern New Hampshire) single in the third, then launched a solo home run in the fifth. Each swing gave Orleans a one-run lead, and each time Tryston McCladdie (Clemson) answered.
McCladdie tripled home Jake Lambdin in the third before doubling home Hunter Kingsbury in the sixth. Jacob Lee (Virginia Commonwealth) followed the second extra-base hit with his seventh home run of the summer, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 advantage.
McCladdie finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a double and a triple. He also prevented a run in the eighth, firing the ball into the infield before Will Baker relayed it home to cut down the overzealous Larsen.
“Whatever it takes to win as a team, that's all I want to do,” McCladdie said. “Trying to prepare each day as a team and just be as ready as I can for my teammates.”
Jordan Regulski (Duke) protected the lead with two scoreless innings. The right-hander allowed two hits and two walks while striking out two, stranding four Firebirds across the sixth and seventh.
“I feel like we just have to trust in each other,” Regulski said. “Just having fun and leaning on each other when you have to toss that ball off.”
The handoff did not hold. Colt Peterson walked Lapp and Larsen to open the eighth before Rowan Kelly (UC Santa Barbara) doubled home a run. Brewster erased Larsen at the plate, but Cadiz grounded home Kelly to tie the game.
Orleans built the winning run without driving a ball beyond the infield. Cumiskey singled, Tyler Harmony reached on a bunt and Brendan Buecker moved both runners over. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, Lapp grounded to short, scoring Cumiskey.
Brewster brought the tying run to second in the bottom of the ninth after singles from Dylan Schlotterback and Edward Yamin IV, but Lambdin grounded out to end the game.
The Whitecaps have lost three of four during their final push, including a 9-0 loss to Chatham and Saturday’s collapse. Between them came an 8-4 win over Yarmouth-Dennis that showed Shevchik exactly what his team can be entering the postseason.
“If we play like today, we’re going to be out of here a lot sooner than you think, ” Shevchik said. “If we play like we did yesterday in game two, we’ll stick around.”
Brewster will play Harwich in the final game of the regular season Sunday, a potential preview of the best-of-three East Division semifinal beginning Aug. 4. First pitch at Whitehouse Field is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
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 at @MattFW_4.
