HARWICH, Mass. — For most around the Whitecaps organization, Sunday began as a mad scramble to sort through playoff-clinching scenarios. Discussions buzzed about secondary tiebreakers, the implications of the Orleans-Chatham game and the nine potential outcomes that would determine Brewster’s playoff fate.

But among those possible outcomes, one factor was constant. To have any chance at a playoff berth, the Whitecaps needed to win their final game. By the end of the fifth inning, it was clear they wouldn’t.

So, as the late innings of Brewster’s 15-7 loss to the Harwich Mariners unfolded, the mood around the team turned reflective. And Whitecaps manager Jamie Shevchik looked back on the group with mixed emotions.

He was frustrated that Brewster’s talented roster badly underperformed, considering the team featured a league-high nine All-Stars and several top prospects in future MLB Drafts. Still, he was proud that the Whitecaps were united by a competitive edge and a will to improve throughout the season.

“One of the biggest things I went off last year was, I really don’t care about the talent level. I want guys that I love being around and that want every single day to get better,” Shevchik said. “And I think I got that.”

He pointed to players like Ryder Helfrick (Arkansas), Nick Dumesnil (Cal Baptist) and J.D. Rogers, all of whom stayed with the team from the first game to the last, embodying the ultracompetitive mindset he preaches.

“I’ll take those guys every single day,” Shevchik added. “I love being around those guys.”

As it turned out, a win over the Mariners would not have been enough to clinch the Whitecaps a playoff spot, because Orleans defeated Chatham, 7-1, and Brewster needed a Firebirds loss for a chance at the postseason.

Still, for a few moments early in Sunday’s game against Harwich, the Whitecaps appeared to have some life.

Second baseman Kaeden Kent (Texas A&M) delivered Brewster the first lead of the game, lining a single into center field to score catcher Ryder Helfrick (Arkansas), who cranked a leadoff double to left.

The Mariners took a 3-1 lead on a balk, sacrifice fly and RBI triple, but the Whitecaps punched back, taking the lead with a five-run top of the fourth. Brewster loaded the bases with nobody out and Colby Shelton (Florida) crushed a grand slam, injecting a burst of hope into the Whitecaps dugout.

Michael Iannazzo (Maryland) followed with a solo shot to make it 6-3.The homer was a rarity for Iannazzo, whose game is predicated on contact and speed. He only hit one home run in his first season with Maryland.

But it couldn’t be that easy — not with this team, which has consistently failed to hold leads.

Brewster starter Parker Detmers (Louisville) gave up a single and two walks to load the bases in the bottom of the fourth, and then walked Harwich nine-hole hitter Sam McNulty (Boston College) to make it 6-4. Things only unraveled from there. An RBI groundout from Aiden Robbins (Seton Hall) made it 6-5 and another bases-loaded walk tied the game at 6.

Then came the knockout blow: a grand slam from Weber, which sailed just over the outstretched glove of Dallas Macias (Oregon State) in left.

When the chaos settled, the two teams had combined for 12 runs (five for Brewster, seven for Harwich) — the eighth-most runs in one inning in Cape Cod Baseball League history, according to league historian Mike Richard.

Detmers has steadily improved throughout the season, but he struggled with command on Sunday, walking seven in his 3 1/3 innings on the mound. He ended the night with nine earned runs, although reliever Zack Johnston (Wake Forest) walked in Harwich’s sixth run and gave up the grand slam.

Johnston stayed in for the bottom of the fifth, giving up two more runs on a Tommy Barth (Kansas) single and a triple from pinch-hitter Cam Maldonaldo (Northeastern). Johnston’s Wake Forest teammate, Will Ray, entered with Harwich up six runs and surrendered two more to give the Mariners a 14-6 edge in the sixth. That all but sealed it.

As Shevchik huddled the team for one more speech after the final out, he couldn’t help but play the what-if game.

“You play out the last 40 games, and there’s a win somewhere in there that changes the dynamic of the entire season, changes the outcome of today,” Shevchik told them. “The biggest lesson you can learn is when you go back to school in the spring, there’s going to be a day when you just don’t feel like going out there and playing… you don’t want the end result to be one game out of your conference tournament, one game out of a regional.”

As the huddle broke, most of the team broke into a huge game of hacky sack in the outfield, laughing and smiling together for one final moment.

“They worked their a–ses off,” Shevchik said. “The talent either shows up or it doesn’t, but what made this a great summer for me was being around players that really loved to play the game.”

Title photo credit: Julianne Shivers