The Hyannis Harbor Hawks lost their first game of the season, getting stuck in a tough offensive rut during Sunday night’s contest at McKeon Park. The Brewster Whitecaps found some mid-game offense that carried them all the way, taking advantage of a few Hyannis mistakes and some timely hits to secure the win.

Evan Blanco started on the bump for the Hawks, dealing four strong innings and giving up one run. The right-hander showed poise early and leaned on his advanced offspeed arsenal to navigate through Brewster’s lineup.

“I would have been happier if I could land my change-up at the bottom of his zone, but I'm not going to get too picky about it. I still got guys out when I ran into trouble. I feel like I managed it well.”

Blanco, a freshman from the University of Virginia, is coming off an up-and-down collegiate season and looked composed in his Cape League debut. The freshman Massachusetts native posted impressive strikeout stats in his first year at Virginia, doing so with the use of his killer off-speed pitches. Blanco went further in describing how he has improved his changeup.

“Off the mound, I love throwing my change-up, but also in catch play from like 90 feet and just working on extension.”

Despite a strong start from Blanco, the Hawks’ offense couldn’t find its rhythm. The bats remained quiet throughout the game, and when chances did come, they couldn’t capitalize. In terms of the offensive effort, Head Coach Mitch Karraker summed it up perfectly. With five runners left on base and a couple of big opportunities to cash in runs, the Hawks failed to produce. Karraker notes it isn’t just the hitters’ at-bats that are to blame.

“We didn't chase a whole lot. We just missed pitches, in my opinion, so I think that's part of that's just, you know, the way the game goes sometimes. I thought we took some good swings, we swung at the right pitches. We just got to clean some stuff up.”

The Hawks threatened in the middle innings but failed to string hits together when it mattered. The veteran Head Coach joked with his team that they definitely won't be going undefeated, so it's time to get back to work and prepare for a good team in Chatham ahead.

Still, not all was lost at the plate. A few individual performances stood out—most notably that of third baseman Ray Velazquez, who continues to be a spark early in the season. The shining spots in the Hyannis offensive effort came at the hands of Ray Velazquez. The third baseman went 2-for-4 with his first double of the season so far.

“I just stick to my approach. Honestly, just try to help a team win. That's all I'm really trying to do. At this point, stick to my approach, see the ball deep. Have a good two strike approach 'cause [the double] happened with two strikes.”

Velazquez entered the game hitting over .300 and has delivered steady contact and heads-up plays in the field. His double briefly energized the Hyannis dugout but didn’t lead to a run, as the inning ended shortly after. Velazquez marks strong offensive and defensive play through the first three games this season. His double was inconsequential as the Harbor Hawks recorded the next two outs soon after, leaving another runner on base.

Hyannis also got contributions from a pair of new faces. Georgia Tech catcher Vaun Lackey and Auburn outfielder Chris Rembert accounted for the remainder of the offense Hyannis could muster. Rembert flew in from Florida late Saturday night to be here for Cameron Chee-Aloy, the injured outfielder. Chee-Aloy will miss the summer season with a broken hand.

The Harbor Hawks will now turn the page and prepare for a bounce-back opportunity as they face Chatham on Tuesday night. While the loss stings, early signs suggest this team has the pieces in place—they just need to put them together in the right moments.