COTUIT, Mass. — With the nature of the Cape Cod Baseball League, players enter and exit from teams daily.

For the Whitecaps, stars like Nolan Schubart (Oklahoma State) and Daniel Cuvet (Miami) have recently left to compete for Team USA. But Brewster has also seen an influx of fresh talent, including experienced collegiate players like Drew Faurot (Florida State) and Brody Donay (Florida).

Throughout the roster fluctuations, Andrew Fischer (Ole Miss) has been one of the Whitecaps' most consistent pieces. After playing second base for the first set of games, Fischer has moved comfortably back to his regular position at third base.

And at the plate Thursday night in Cotuit, it was Fischer who led the way, going 5-for-5 and totaling 12 total bases.

“That's kind of the reason we signed Fischer from the beginning of the year, right,” Brewster manager Jamie Shevchik said postgame. “To start seeing stuff like that.”

The spectacular line from the third baseman, which included two home runs, led Brewster (5-6) past Cotuit (7-4), 10-7, ending the Kettleers' six-game winning streak and marking Brewster’s second consecutive win.

Fischer started the day with a single to right field in the top of the first inning, but he was left on base. In the second, Nick Dumesnil (Cal Baptist) hammered a ball over the right field fence for his second home run in as many at-bats, giving the Whitecaps their first lead.

An inning later, Ryder Helfrick (Arkansas) reached first on a base hit through the left side. The next batter, Fischer in the three-hole, turned on a pitch and crushed it out of the park for a two-run home run.

Brewster added two more in the fourth, this time playing small ball. Dumesnil led off with a single and stole second base before Cooper Vest (BYU) reached first on a hit-by-pitch. The two each moved up 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt by Jayden Hylton (Stetson) before Tyler Pettorini (Ohio State) singled out of the nine-hole to right to score Dumesnil.

From there, Cotuit manager Mike Roberts pulled starting pitcher Camron Hill (Georgia Tech), the reigning Cape Cod Baseball League Pitcher of the Year. Hill was dominant in 2023, but the Whitecaps’ offense berated him regardless of his reputation.

“I thought our guys weren’t fazed,” Shevchik said postgame. “They can give two sh--ts about who was Cape League Pitcher of the Year last year.”

Roberts brought in left-hander Harrison Bodendorf (Hawaii), and DeAmez Ross (transfer portal) quickly made an impact. Ross, a left-handed batter with elite speed, performed a perfect drag bunt to the first base side, scoring Vest from third and allowing Ross to reach first. The play extended Brewster’s lead to five.

While the Whitecaps poured it on offensively, Seth Tomczak (Cal State Fullerton) provided length on the mound. Tomczak has started just six games in his collegiate career but was needed Thursday following the exit of multiple recent starters. He allowed no runs and two hits while striking out four batters in four innings of work.

Before Tomczak’s exit, the Whitecaps continued to pounce on the Kettleers’ pitching. Fischer doubled to lead off the inning, his third of the day. Behind him in the cleanup spot was Donay, who was playing in his first game for the Whitecaps after an impressive run with the Gators in Omaha. Donay made his presence known in his first game, ripping a line drive over the left field wall for a two-run shot.

With a 7-0 lead, Shevchik turned the ball over to Zach Johnston (Wake Forest), who also made his first appearance with the Whitecaps. After allowing a leadoff single, Johnston took a comebacker to the leg, forcing him out of the game. Boston Flannery (North Carolina), thrown into the fire for his Brewster debut, struck out a batter but allowed two of Johnston’s runs to score. He also allowed two runs of his own.

Ryan Ure (Oklahoma State) entered as the third pitcher of the inning and allowed a run on a wild pitch but escaped with the Whitecaps still leading, 7-4.

In the sixth, Levi Huesman (Vanderbilt) came in to protect the lead and executed. Huesman worked across the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings while allowing one run and striking out six batters.

“Levi was probably a big reason why we ended up winning,” Shevchik said.

As Huesman protected the lead, Fischer added more highlights to his day. In the seventh inning, a triple away from the cycle, Fischer did himself one better by hitting his second home run of the day, ripping a no-doubt homer into the right field bushes. In the top of the ninth, he reached on a single, recording his fifth hit.

After entering the game not recording a hit in his last seven at-bats, he finished 5-for-5 on the day.

“I feel like I’ve been putting at-bats together this whole season but just not really getting results,” Fischer said postgame.

Donay and Faurot each added a single as Fischer and Donay scored to extend the lead to six runs. The Whitecaps allowed a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn’t nearly enough to keep up with Fischer and Brewster’s offensive firepower.

“To think that the lineup could potentially only get better. Now it’s about carrying the momentum and not dropping the game tomorrow,” Shevchik said.

Photo credit: Avery Raimondo