Whitecaps Drown Gatemen 9-2 in Complete Offensive Explosion

Michael Curry knocked in three runs for the Whitecaps against three different Gatemen pitchers (c) Marielle McLoughlin 2017

By: Koki Riley

BREWSTER, MA - One day after scoring seven runs in their home opener, the Brewster Whitecaps exploded for nine in a 9-2 victory over the Wareham Gatemen on Thursday evening, earning their fourth win of the young season.
 
Every member of Brewster’s starting lineup had at least one base hit, with six Whitecaps recording multi-hit games.
 
“Winning is fun. Winning makes everything better,” said Whitecaps slugger Michael Curry (Georgia), smiling. “We’re really starting to come together as a team.”
 
After taking a 4-2 lead in the 6th inning on a Marty Costes (Maryland) single, Cesar Trejo (UNC Greensboro) came up to bat with one out in the 6th and crushed a ball over the left-center field fence for a two-run home run.
 
“Basically I was just trying to stay within myself, not trying to go up and do too much,” said Trejo. “My at bat before that I got myself out in a fastball count and kinda chased one. I reminded myself to stay within myself and trust my hands and I put a good swing on that pitch.”
 
Trejo’s bomb was his first of the season and gave the Whitecaps a four-run cushion.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, after an RBI single from Curry brought Kyle Datres (UNC) home, Chandler Taylor (Alabama) stepped to the plate with two outs.
 
After his two-homer performance in Wednesday’s Whitecaps’ victory, it was an ominous sight for Gatemen reliever Blakely Brown (Georgia).
 
Brown had good reason, as Taylor would stay red-hot by clobbering a ball to right field for a two-run home run, giving Brewster an extremely comfortable seven-run cushion.
 
When asked about the roster crunch involving temporary players like Taylor and Trejo, Whitecaps coach Jamie Shevchik said it’s an issue of nocturnal proportions.
 
“Cesar Trejo and Chandler Taylor are temporary players and we’ve got to find some way to keep those guys,” Shevchik said. “This is the thing that keeps me up at night, trying to figure out what the position player roster is going to be the next week or so.”
 
Trejo and Chandler both had two RBI apiece, while Curry led the team on the day with three runs batted in.
 
“My first two at-bats I just didn’t have the right mentality,” said Curry. “I kept thinking about my mechanics instead of just getting up there and swinging. I made adjustments mentally and just went after it.”
 
Curry finished the day 2-3 at the plate and each of his RBI came off a different Gatemen pitcher.
 
After Brewster jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, Robert Metz’s (George Washington) single in the fourth would cut the Brewster lead to one.
 
Then in the fifth, a sacrifice fly from Luke Bonfield (Arkansas) would tie the game at two for Wareham.
 
In what seems to be a common theme for Brewster this season, the bullpen was stellar.
 
Andy Pagnozzi (Ole Miss) and William Tribucher (Michigan) combined for 2.2 perfect innings, before turning the ball over to Robert Broom (Mercer).
 
Broom, making his team-leading third appearance, closed out the game with two innings of scoreless ball, coupled with three strikeouts to catapult him into a tie for the league lead in strikeouts with twelve.
 
“I love our bullpen,” said Shevchik. “Our pitching staff is going to be really really good.”
 
Wareham’s limited offense certainly did not help out their subpar pitching.
 
After two solid innings from starting pitcher Justin Hagenman (Penn State), the Wareham bullpen would give up seven earned runs in seven innings of work.
 
“I could tell he gassed up on that first one,” said Curry, who singled off Gatemen reliever and fellow Georgia Bulldog Blakely Brown in his third at-bat. “It was fun facing him. I didn’t want to make eye contact with him, I thought I might smile or something.”
 
For Brewster, starting pitcher J.R. McDermott (Colorado Mesa), whose grandparents made the trip to Stony Brook Field, made them proud by only allowing two runs, just one earned, in 4.1 innings of work while striking out seven Gateman.
 
While his command was not as sharp as his first start, McDermott is currently fifth in the Cape League in ERA (0.96) and tied for third in strikeouts (11).
 
“I don’t think he was as sharp as he was against Hyannis,” said Shevchik. “But he pitched well enough for us to win.”
 
“The way our offense is rolling right now, if we can hold them to two or three runs we’re always going to have a chance to win the game.”
 
Also for Brewster, Costes went 2-4 with an RBI while the third baseman Datres went 2-4 to improve his batting average on the season to .286.
 
WHAT’S NEXT: The Whitecaps are at home once again on Friday as they take on Cotuit at 5 p.m.

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