USC commit strikes out 20 of 21 batters in high school game
File photo by Rudy Schmoke
Drew Finley struck out 20 of 21 batters for Rancho Bernardo last Wednesday.
It wasn't a perfect game, but Drew Finley was pretty close to perfection.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Rancho Bernardo (San Diego) right-hander struck out 20 of 21 batters in a 2-1 win over Ramona (Calif.) last Wednesday.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the only out that wasn't a strikeout came when a Romona batter check-swung on an 0-2 pitch, sending a dribbler to first baseman Lenard Jones. Finley allowed two hits, walked two and gave up an unearned run in the 107-pitch effort.
"I was just trying to throw strikes and get ahead in the count," Finley told the Union-Tribune. "My fastball and curve were really working."
That's an understatement.
Finley, a USC commit, has a fastball consistently in the low 90s and is No. 55 in the list of MaxPreps Top 100 Seniors for 2015.
According to the San Diego Section record book, the 20 strikeouts are a new large-school record for a seven-inning game.
It's a far cry from the national record, however. According to the NFHS record book, Brett Jennings of Lingleville (Texas) set the record in 1986 by striking out 24 batters in a seven-inning game.
