COTUIT, Mass. — A rainy day on Cape Cod turned into a cold, windy and gloomy Tuesday evening in Cotuit, where the Brewster Whitecaps traveled to battle against the Kettleers. The harsh conditions created an uncomfortable atmosphere for almost everyone.

There was one individual, however, that was clearly exempt: Whitecaps left-handed starting pitcher Santiago Garcia (Louisiana State).

There was arguably no one at Lowell Park hotter than the southpaw, who danced around Cotuit’s (3-5-1) lineup, allowing just three base runners across five innings, the longest start for any Brewster (6-3) pitcher this season. Garcia’s efforts helped the Whitecaps secure their first shutout victory of the season, earning the win as they beat the Kettleers 6-0 in a seven-inning, darkness-shortened game at one of just three Cape Cod Baseball League fields without lights.

“(Garcia) dominated,” Brewster manager Jamie Shevchik said. “The pitching is what’s keeping us in these games … it’s just taking some pressure off the offense and allowing those guys to control the game at their own pace.”

With Garcia as good as he was — along with right-handed relievers Zach Kmatz (Oregon State) and Jordan Regulski (Duke), who combined for two innings of no-hit baseball — the offense didn’t need to do much.

The bats did end up scoring their fair share of runs, but for much of the evening it was the Santiago Garcia show, as they watched him twirl the most effective start of the campaign.

“It was really fun to catch him today,” Garcia’s catcher, Owen Jenkins (Texas Tech), said. “He had all his stuff, it was awesome.”

Garcia didn’t overpower Cotuit’s offense with his fastball, which sits around 90 mph, or generate swings and misses at an exorbitant rate with his secondaries, striking out just two Kettleers, but he generated weak contact and limited baserunners.

Garcia’s one free pass ties him with fellow southpaw Payton Manca (Florida State) for the fewest given up in a start by a Whitecap this season — Manca’s one-walk outing occurred June 15 against the Orleans Firebirds, and was the previous longest start by a Brewster pitcher this summer, going 4.1 innings.

The one walk total was also a significant improvement over Garcia’s first start, which occurred against the Wareham Gatemen on June 16, and saw him walk three over 2.1 innings.

“It’s just mental for me,” Garcia said. “This week I had one of the best bullpens I’ve probably ever thrown; I just brought that into the game and stayed focused. Focus is a big thing, so that’s the difference right there.”

It was Garcia's ability to keep the basepaths clear that let him go five innings, hitting the upper limit of his 65-pitch pitch count as he secured the final out of his outing, a fielder’s choice that saw third baseman Jamie Laskofski (North Carolina) go to second base for the force out.

Laskofski was also the first Whitecap to cross the plate on Tuesday. The former member of the William & Mary’s Tribe led off the second inning by getting hit by a pitch and came around to score after a single off the bat of first baseman Dane Harvey (Ohio State) and shortstop Jake Lambdin’s (Duke) groundout to second base.

Jenkins added an insurance run in the fifth inning, breaking his bat as he muscled a single into center field, scoring designated hitter Brody DeLamielleure (Florida State), who reached on a fielder’s choice.

While snapping a bat in 63-degree conditions might not be most people’s definition of enjoyable, Jenkins didn’t mind.

“It felt good to get an RBI,” Jenkins said. “You’ve got to do everything you can to help the team.”

The backstop eventually came around to score on a throwing error from his counterpart, Hogan Denny (Indiana), who tried to backpick Laskofski — who walked — at first base. Denny’s throw sent the ball tumbling down the right field line and Jenkins was able to turn the corner at third and slide around Denny, who was blocking the plate, as the ball ricocheted off his glove and into the Kettleers dugout, bringing home Laskofski as well.

The final two Brewster runs also involved Jenkins and Laskofski, as the latter doubled home the former and DeLamielleure in the seventh inning.

The seventh inning was also when Shevchik made his move to insert Regulski, who entered with one out and induced two groundouts. Regulski’s two outs ended up being the last of the game, as the umpires called it right after, at 7:12 p.m., two hours and 12 minutes after first pitch.

Shevchik mentioned after the Whitecaps June 20 win over the Firebirds that he wanted to find “the right opportunity” for Regulski, who sported a 40.50 ERA after his first two summer appearances.

“He needed that,” Shevchik said. “He goes into his next appearance with more confidence based on what he just did.”

With the victory in the shortened game, Brewster has recorded three consecutive wins for the first time this summer, and while it might feel like it’s early, the team is a game away from reaching the quarter mark of the campaign.

Every member of the Whitecaps is trying to get into the same type of groove that Garcia was in on Tuesday as the march toward the midway point and beyond rages on.

“(We’ve) just got to keep stacking days and keep stacking wins,” Jenkins said.