The Harwich Mariners hosted the Brewster Whitecaps Saturday afternoon for the second game of the home-and-home series.A full house packed Whitehouse Field for the Fourth of July. The Mariners got the best of the Whitecaps Friday night after a 2-1 victory at Stony Brook Field.

Jakob Schulz got the start for the Mariners Saturday. Schulz was coming off an impressive start against Bourne, where the lefty pitched six innings of one-run baseball. At one point, Schulz retired 15 Braves in a row.

Schulz found himself in trouble during the beginning of the game. After walking the first two batters in the top of the second inning, the Mariners found they needed to step up their pace. The Whitecaps were able to score two runs off of a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly to take a 2-0 lead before Schulz struck out the final batter to end the Whitecaps' run.

The Whitecaps were able to add to their lead in the top of the third inning. Two more bases-loaded walks gave Brewster two free runs. Schulz did not finish the inning after getting pulled. The talented arm was never able to find his groove finishing his outing going 2 ⅔ innings, two hits, six walks, one strikeout, and five earned runs.

The Mariners found some life in the bottom of the fifth inning after stringing together, two singles, and a walk. Colin Larson stepped to the plate, hoping to bring the runners home. After launching the ball to deep right-center field, Brewster's center fielder made a diving catch to spoil the Mariners’ comeback.

The Whitecaps’ bats kept rolling into the sixth inning after a three-run home run out to the right field. Brewster was able to extend their lead to 13-0.

Heat Wave

The Fourth of July brought a full house to Whitehouse as well as the heat. As it was the first heat wave of the season for Cape Cod, the players weren’t expecting such high temperatures. With that being said, the Mariners weren’t able to take batting practice to stay as cool as possible. It was shown throughout the game; the Mariners ended the game with four hits and zero runs. The Whitecaps had an advantage by continuing with batting practice before the game.

As the temperature ranged in the high 90s today, the players had played eight games in the last few days, as well as making a trip out to Fenway, the coach decided to opt out of batting practice, giving the players time to rest and not overwork themselves. Colin Larson, who is an outfielder, mentioned the decision was based on those deciding factors.

“We did a show-and-go yesterday, and it worked out fine, but after playing eight straight games, going to Fenway, and then playing two more, the coaches thought it was best to give us a break. Maybe that played a little bit of a role in how we came out today,” Larson said.

Coach Englert stressed how with such little rest days during the season, games like this are expected.

“We kind of hit a wall today. It’s to be expected after 12 straight days on the field. We’re just trying to keep them fresh,” said Coach Englert.

What's Next?

The Mariners look to rebound when Chatham travels to Harwich for a Sunday afternoon rematch. The Mariners fell to Chatham in their first meeting, looking to split the series.

First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m.