The way things were going for most of the season, you had to wonder if the Brewster Whitecaps would ever struggle. They got great pitching every time out and seemed to always find a way to win.
The last week has been a little different.
Brewster has dropped its last five games, including a 5-4 extra-innings loss to Chatham last night. With Y-D splitting a doubleheader, the teams are now tied atop the East standings with 44 points each. And Y-D actually has one fewer loss right now.
The Whitecaps haven’t been falling completely flat. The first two losses in the streak were of the one-run variety. The next two were worse, as Brewster lost 9-1 to Wareham and 12-2 to Cotuit.
Last night, it was back to a nip-and-tuck affair — and Brewster put together an impressive comeback — but the result was the same. The Whitecaps trailed 4-1 but scored three in the ninth to tie the game. Derek Jones (Washington State) had a two-run double in the rally.
But in the 10th, Chatham had an answer. Riley Reynolds (Vanderbilt) hit a walk-off single to give Chatham the win. The run came off Colton Murray (Kansas), who hadn’t allowed a run in his first 13 appearances.
Brian Humphries (Pepperdine) led Chatham with three hits and two RBI. Jones had three hits for Brewster, but the team finished with just six.
Elsewhere
Y-D could have grabbed sole possession of first place but settled for a doubleheader split with Harwich. Y-D dropped the first game 2-0 but won the second 10-2. In game one, Andrew Leenhouts (Northeastern) and Braden Kapteyn (Kentucky) combined on the shutout. Clint Moore (Army) and Levi Michael (North Carolina) each drove in runs. In game two, Y-D’s offense came to life. Joe Panik (St. John’s) and Jordan Ribera (Fresno State) each hit home runs as part of a 12-hit attack. Ribera, the national home run leader who got off to a slow start, now leads the league in homers.
After Ryan Carpenter (Gonzaga) took a no-hitter into the ninth for Orleans on Sunday, the Firebirds got another strong pitching performance on Monday. Matt Sisto (Hawaii) scattered six hits in six shutout innings and picked up the win. Matt Murray (Georgia Southern) struck out eight for Cotuit, but Orleans touched him up for three runs and added insurance against the bullpen in the late innings. Kolten Wong (Hawaii) went 3-for-4 for Orleans with three RBI. Matt Koch (Loyola Marymount) also had three hits. Orleans has won three in a row and is just a point back of Harwich for third place.
Wareham got a strong start from Jack Armstrong (Vanderbilt) and beat Hyannis 4-2. Armstrong struck out eight and allowed a run on two hits in six innings. He improved to 3-3 and lowered his ERA to 3.18. Max Muncy (Baylor) backed Armstrong with another big day. Muncy, who drove in five RBI on Saturday, went 2-for-3 last night with two RBI. He now leads the league with 23 RBI. The Gatemen have won four in a row and are sitting in third place, just three points out of first.
Falmouth scored four in the eighth to rally past Bourne 5-2. Anthony Meo (Coastal Carolina) gave Bourne a solid start and R.J. Alvarez (Florida Atlantic) pitched two scoreless innings of relief to get Bourne through seven. But in the eighth, Falmouth rallied against Tommy Kahnle (Lynn) and Tony Zych (Louisville), two top-notch relievers. With Falmouth trailing 2-1, Barrett Barnes (Texas Tech) hit a three-run home run to give Falmouth the lead. Matt Summers (UC Irvine) got the win in relief for Falmouth.
What to Watch
Wareham will try to keep its win streak going with a match-up against first-place Cotuit. Josh Urban (Texas) gets the ball for the Gatemen. Nick Tropeano (Stony Brook) is scheduled to go for Cotuit. Tropeano has delivered three strong starts in a row.
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