Payton Manca has taken every opportunity he has seen on the Cape. Manca, a Brewster starter, has been dominant in his second stint on the Cape, most recently in Brewster’s 4-3 win over Falmouth on Sunday. Last summer, Manca threw for a 2.70 ERA through seven games with Cotuit.

Jamie Shevchik saw him pitch for Florida State in the spring and knew he had an ace lined up.

"I got him by accident. I happened to be at the ACC Tournament in Charlotte and we got a chance to meet,” Shevchik said. “He was a no-brainer. He made a really good impression on me when I had a conversation with him. We didn't sign him until just a few weeks ago, and I think it was probably one of the best decisions we've made."

Manca was a late addition to Shevchik’s rotation, which has made headlines for their early-season dominance. Brewster’s rotation and their 2.05 ERA have been molded through quality starts from Manca, Santiago Garcia and Ethan Grim.

Manca threw three scoreless innings against the Commodores and lowered his ERA to 0.84 through three starts.

The 6’6” ace is drawing comparisons to another Payton, Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle. Both hurlers are listed at 6’6”, 250 lbs and are dominating recent scorelines with a powerful presence on the mound and an imposing arsenal.

"Yeah, he does resemble him a little bit,” Shevchik said. “He's got some really good stuff. He competes inside the strike zone, doesn't walk a lot of guys, and just says, 'Here it is, try to hit it.' I think he's going to be a good one."

The Gardner, Massachusetts, native has been given a short leash with the MLB Draft coming up.

"He's been awesome, what an amazing kid,” Shevchik said. “Today, we went with a little bit of a shorter start by design because his next start before the draft is going to be extended, and he's going to come back on short rest. We wanted to keep this one a little tight and put pressure on the bullpen, but those guys came in and did the job."

Manca looks to join the elite list of talented Cape League players drafted into MLB in July. However, for now, he is simply doing his job for the Whitecaps.

Brewster’s pitching staff kept the game at 3-3 going into the ninth. Brewster seized control late when baserunner Jake Lambdin hesitated directly in front of a ground ball, allowing it to skip through the shortstop’s legs and score the eventual winning run. The Whitecaps went up 4-3, giving the ‘Dores a chance to fire back.

Falmouth’s Austin Mallee stepped up with two runners on and one out. Mallee was just looking to put bat to ball and force the defense to make a play. Brewster reliever Zach Kmatz had been missing bats for three straight innings.

Mallee was ready for the sinker, but a Kmatz breaking ball caught him off guard. He managed to get a bat on it, sending the runners scrambling to second and third.

Brewster third baseman Pete Daniel tagged Anthony Diaz out at third before firing the ball over the first baseman’s head as Mallee sprinted down the line, keeping the ‘Dores alive with two outs.

Brewster reliever Zach Kmatz intentionally walked Miami outfielder Fabio Peralta to load the bases. Ty Kaunas then stepped up but was retired by Kmatz to end the threat as Brewster held on for a 4-3 win.

Mallee would’ve liked a much larger piece of contact, but he has been hitting .353 for Falmouth and is one of their best hitters.

Mallee credits how well he is seeing the ball to his wood-bat experience in junior college.

"My Arizona JUCO used wood bats, so I had an advantage there,” Mallee said. “I've been using wood bats for two years, but the pitching is definitely different. Your eyes have to get pretty quick. You just shorten up your swing and try not to do too much."

Mallee attended GateWay Community College in Phoenix, Arizona, and is now facing elite pitching competition like Manca every night.

"It's definitely different from what I'm used to seeing as a junior college kid, but just like every other pitcher, they've got to throw the ball, somebody's got to catch it, and you've got to hit it,” Mallee described. “You've got to find the barrel too.”

Breaking down the game itself, Mallee has been barrelling balls on the Cape.

“They were two pretty good pitchers, and that last guy had a really good sinker that broke a couple of our bats,” Mallee said.

Pitchers like Manca and Kmatz are giving Brewster hope on the mound each night. Shevchik is building a pitcher lab in Brewster.

Despite being 7-5-1, the Whitecaps still hold a -3 run differential. The late rallies have been a testament to Shevchik’s game management, especially when games are all but lost.

"I feel like we've been in those games for the first 12 or 13 games,” Shevchik said. “There haven't been a whole lot of lopsided wins or losses, so we're getting used to playing tight games down the stretch, and I think it's good. This is how these guys learn. You get a good idea of who they are.”

With Manca leading the way and Brewster once again surviving a one-run finish, the Whitecaps’ early-season formula is starting to take shape.