BREWSTER, Mass. — Pure jubilation.

That’s what overtook the Whitecaps’ dugout as its players poured onto the field to embrace Adam Magpoc (San Diego State) following his walk-off single. You would’ve never guessed it based on the chaotic celebration, but the victory did little for Brewster in terms of playoff seeding. In fact, the Firebirds went on to claim the East Division later that night, anyway. But that wasn’t the point.

Usually on the wrong side of one-run games this year, the win had proven that even when the pressure was at its peak, the Whitecaps could find a way to get the job done. Now that’s something to celebrate.

“For it to come in the biggest moment, in the last game of the year, that’s the most impressive thing. Now they know they can do it,” Whitecaps manager Jamie Shevchik said postgame. “I’ve always thought we were a team that could come back (in games) if it was close enough. (Tonight), we flipped the script on the baseball we had been playing for the last 10 days.”

Brewster (22-17-1) ended its regular-season schedule in style via a 5-4 walk-off victory over Orleans (22-16-2) Sunday, snapping the Firebirds’ seven-game win streak in the process. After blowing an early lead, the Whitecaps found themselves trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth. With the bases loaded, Magpoc lifted the ‘Caps to their first walk-off win of 2025, putting the cherry on top of an already memorable evening.

At first glance, the Whitecaps’ regular-season finale didn’t seem like it had the makings of an unforgettable game at Stony Brook Field.

Already locked into the No. 3 spot in the East Division and now unable to claim first place, the Whitecaps’ starting lineup reflected that of a team who didn’t have much to lose that night. Top bats like Brendan Lawson (Florida) and Dalton Wentz (Wake Forest) were scratched for the sake of rest. Additionally, both members of Brewster’s starting battery — righty Kaden Hilburger (Bryant) and catcher Justin Ruiz (High Point) — were set to make their debuts with the team that evening. The goal was still to win, but Brewster clearly wasn’t pulling out all the stops.

While the matchup meant virtually nothing for the Whitecaps, it meant everything for the Firebirds. A victory would’ve cemented them as the East’s top seed in the playoffs — their first division title since 2017. Unlike Brewster, Orleans was still in control of their own destiny. All that stood in its way was a team who it had bested three times before.

On paper, the contest looked like it could’ve quickly gotten out of hand for the Whitecaps. But baseball isn’t played on paper. That’s why from the opening pitch, Shevchik knew there was a good chance an upset was brewing. He’d seen this movie many times before.

“I know it didn’t mean anything, but I would say those are the games that you win for whatever reason,” Shevchik said. “The games that would feel like you don’t have your best lineup out there and the other team is putting their best lineup because they want to win.”

That trend showed itself early on, as Hilburger looked comfortable as could be from the beginning. Striking out two of the first three players he faced, his efforts muted the Firebirds’ bats through the first two frames — showing a level of command some of Brewster’s arms still had yet to find.

While Hilburger settled in on the mound, an unsung bat stepped up to kickstart the Whitecaps’ offense to lead off the second. Used mostly as a mid-game substitution recently, Michael Anderson (Penn State) kicked off his return to the starting nine by crushing a solo homer — his second through 16 appearances this year. Sunday’s outing also marked Anderson’s first as a starter since July 17, one that Shevchik said reinforced his role as one of Brewster’s top options off the bench.

“When you saw the home run, the reaction of the dugout when he came in wasn’t just because of the play. It was because everybody’s also been paying attention to what he’s been doing in the early work and how he picks up his teammates,” Shevchik said of Anderson’s home run. “They were happy for him, not just because someone hit a home run.”

Building on Anderson’s leadoff dinger, Carson Kerce (Georgia Tech) knocked his third double of the season into center field and eventually slid home to bring the ‘Caps edge to 2-0 thanks to a fielding error. The play marked his fourth hit in as many games up to that point.

Now with a slim lead, Brewster’s first-time battery was given a slightly larger margin for error. But despite Hilburger and Ruiz’s solid start to the night, the early success had merely been fool’s gold. Across the next few frames, their mistakes allowed the Firebirds to slowly but surely crawl back into the contest.

The duo’s deterioration began in the third, when Hilburger worked Landon Hairston (Arizona State) into an even 2-2 count just to surrender a double into deep right field. On the next at bat, Ruiz stumbled his way through back-to-back passed balls, giving Hairston all the time he needed to slide home. Following a quiet fourth, a two-run bomb midway through the next frame spelled the end of Hilburger’s Cape League debut.

Showing flashes of the team who had nearly been no-hit the night before, Brewster’s offense fell into a temporary lull as well. Scrambling to respond to Orleans’ go-ahead home run, seasoned ace Ryan Oshinskie (Brown) kept the Whitecaps’ bats paralyzed in the fifth and sixth — the finishing touches on one of his longest outings yet. Even when Billy Morris (D’Youville) relieved him in the seventh, nothing changed.

Now down 4-2 with just six outs to work with, Brewster needed a jolt. The problem? Most of their usual suppliers — Lawson, Wentz and Collin Priest (Clemson) — had been held out of the lineup that night. That’s when two of its newest additions to order — Maddox Mihalakis (Arizona) and Brody DeLamielleure (Florida State) — took matters into their own hands.

With just one out, Mihalakis roped a base hit past Morris’ glove and into center field. Feeding off the fortunate bounce, DeLamielleure created one of his own by lacing another single into almost the same exact spot. While the Firebirds searched frantically for the ball, Mihalakis scored with ease. A once hushed atmosphere now roared with approval. Something magical was about to happen — it was only a matter of when.

“Once we got a run away, you could see the entire dynamic of the dugout just switched,” Shevchik said. “Everything changed.”

With a real chance to pull off the unthinkable in front of their home crowd, Brewster finally stopped holding back. They had let one-run games slip past them before, but not this time. A meaningless contest suddenly felt like a do or die scenario, and the Whitecaps were determined to end up on the winning side. As Cal Fisher (Florida State) and Kerce quickly made their way on base via an error and base hit, Shevchik brought in the big guns to try and bring them home.

Following a Carson Tinney (Texas) lineout, Lawson suited up to pinch hit with a chance to score the tying run. But before he could even get the bat off his shoulder, the Firebirds intentionally walked him. Another walk from Wentz — this time via six pitches — tied the contest at four apiece, setting the stage for Magpoc to finish the job. On just the first offering that came his way, Brewster's 2025 Most Valuable Player award winner rose to the occasion.

“It’s almost like they willed it into existence,” Shevchik said of the come-from-behind victory. “To see them run out on the field, water coolor in hand, no matter what happens for the rest of the summer — championship or not — this is one of those days that’s going to stand out and make this a successful summer.”

Title photo credit: Casey Bayne.