High school pitcher has 21-strikeout game nullified due to rules violation

Video: High school pitcher strikes out 21 in forfeit loss
Jake Agnos has record-setting performance nullified after breaking weekly innings rule.

Jake Agnos of Battlefield (Haymarket, Va.) tied a Virginia state record for most strikeouts in a seven inning baseball game, but his performance will never find its way into the record books.

According to a story on InsideNova, Battlefield had to forfeit its 6-1 victory over Osbourn Park in the Conference 8 tournament semifinals Monday because Agnos pitched too many innings. The Virginia High School League rules state that a pitcher can only throw 14 innings in a week. Because Agnos had already thrown eight innings in a game against Patriot, he could only throw six against Osbourn Park.

After giving up a home run to the first batter of the game, Agnos struck out 21 straight batters over seven innings for the win.

"I remember asking myself if I was going to let one missed pitch dictate my entire outing," said Agnos. "From then on I went pitch by pitch focusing on getting ahead and staying ahead, and it seemed as the game progressed I just got more into a groove and wasn't going to let up."

The seven innings, however, gave Agnos 15 innings for the week — thus violating the rule.

According to Osbourn Park activities director Keith Laine, parents brought the violation to his attention. Laine checked with the VHSL which determined that the rule had been broken. Battlefield not only had to forfeit the win, but it also meant that Agnos's performance no longer counted.

"Everybody feels sorry about the situation," Laine told InsideNova. "This is not the way you want a game to go."

Osbourn Park advances to the finals of the Conference 8 tournament with the forfeit win. Battlefield still qualifies for the region tournament.

Agnos, a junior who has committed to East Carolina, threw just 94 pitches in the game and had three innings where he threw only nine pitches — all strikes.

"It was one of the best games we've been part of and a rule stood between us and the win," said Agnos. "But everyone knows what happened that night, forfeit or not.

The 21 strikeouts would have tied the record held jointly by Todd Morgan of Dinwiddie (set in 1980) and Doug Bates of J.J. Kelly (1983).

For the season, Agnos is the strikeout leader in the Washington D.C. area, according to the Washington Post. He had 90 strikeouts prior to the Osbourn Park game, including a 19-strikeout performance against Stonewall Jackson.

"Looking back I don't think that my team and I will ever forget what happened Monday night and wouldn't want it any other way," said Agnos.