Pitching troubles plagued the Harbor Hawks in their season opener Saturday night as they fell to the Brewster Whitecaps, 9-7, to kick off the 2026 summer campaign.
The Harbor Hawks issued 13 free passes over the final four innings, including nine walks and four hit batters.
"Anytime you surrender that many free bases in this league, you're going to get punished for it. I think it's a great learning opportunity for them. They just need to trust their stuff and the guys behind them, and they'll be fine. I thought they were trying to be a little too perfect at times," Harbor Hawks coach Mitch Karraker said.
After three scoreless innings, the Whitecaps broke through in the fourth on back-to-back solo home runs by shortstop Jamie Laskofski and designated hitter Jacob Lee to take a 2-0 lead.
Harbor Hawks starter Karsten Sweum's night ended after four innings. He recorded seven strikeouts while allowing two runs on the pair of home runs.
Despite collecting just three hits through the first four innings, the Hawks' bats came alive in the fifth.
Designated hitter Trey Hawsey delivered an RBI single to left field, scoring second baseman Taylor Kirk from second and advancing left fielder JP Head to second.
The next batter, Blake Primrose, followed with a two-run bloop double to left field, giving the Hawks their first lead of the game at 3-2 before exiting with a hamstring injury.
Karraker said the injury was "not as bad as they initially thought." Primrose is considered day-to-day until further evaluation.
The Hawks extended their lead to 7-2 in the sixth inning, courtesy of home runs from shortstop Charlie Bates and first baseman Caden Miller.
Miller finished 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and a two-run homer that came one batter after Bates' blast.
"All night, I was just trying to stay relaxed, feel loose, and maintain the confidence I had all spring. Obviously, it's been a little while since seeing live pitching, so I just had to trust the work I've put in," Miller said.
Brewster entered the seventh needing a rally, and the inning quickly provided one.
A pitch hit right fielder Frankie Carney to lead off the inning and eventually came around to score on a sacrifice fly by center fielder Michael Torres, cutting the deficit to 7-3.
The Whitecaps continued to chip away from there. Four of the next five batters reached via walk, while shortstop Jamie Laskofski delivered an RBI single that scored second baseman Jake Lambdin. What had been a five-run Hawks lead quickly shrank to one.
With the bases loaded later in the inning, Carney was hit by a pitch for the second time, forcing home Laskofski and tying the game at 7-7.
Caden Miller was the lone Hawks baserunner over the final two innings, leaving the door open for Brewster.
The Whitecaps took advantage in the ninth. Pinch hitter Will Moore delivered the go-ahead RBI with a single to right field, scoring Carney from third with the bases loaded. Left fielder Adam Magpoc added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly to deep center field that brought home Lambdin.
Brewster manager Jamie Shevchik acknowledged the importance of capitalizing on opponents' mistakes, especially early in the season.
"Very rarely do you go out there from an offensive standpoint in the first two weeks and hit your way to nine runs. The first two runs we scored were on home runs, and everything after that was bleeders and walks. We took advantage of what they gave us," Shevchik said.
The Hawks will look to bounce back Sunday when they travel to face the Wareham Gatemen at 6 p.m. Both teams will be seeking their first victory of the season.
