Manassas Journal Messenger | Dagenhart left off All-Stars

Osbourn Park grad Jeff Dagenhart wasn’t one of the three Bourne Braves pitchers selected to the Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star game. But he’s still making a strong contribution.

Bourne has the league’s best pitching staff, at least as far as the statistics are concerned. The Braves lead the CCBL with a 1.95 ERA — nearly .2 runs better than second-place Wareham. They’ve given up just three home runs and 78 walks, both best in the league, and their strikeout-to-walk ratio is better than 3 to 1.

Dagenhart has been just as good. He’s got a 3-1 record with a 2.08 ERA in seven games — five of which he’s started. In 39 innings, he’s given up 26 hits and 11 runs (nine earned) while walking 12 and striking out 33.

Those numbers are impressive. But they’re even more so for the three pitchers that made the All-Star game ahead of Dagenhart.

Georgia Tech’s Kyle Schmidt, the Western Division starter, is 1-1 with a 0.51 ERA. In 35 innings, he’s surrendered two earned runs while walking 15 and striking out 48. Dartmouth’s Tim Grant is 3-0 with a save this season, and his ERA isn’t much worse than Schmidt’s, at 0.65. Grant has pitched 27.2 innings, given up two earned runs and five walks while striking out 21. Tampa’s Eric Beattie is also undefeated at 2-0 with 0.57 ERA. In five games, he’s thrown 31.1 innings and given up two earned runs while walking four and striking out 36.

In his last start, Dagenhart pitched six and a third innings, but got a no-decision. He gave up four hits and one earned run, leaving in the seventh with the game tied.

Through Sunday’s games, the Braves (18-12-1) were one point ahead of the Hyannis Mets (17-12-2) in the Western Division.

DTQ SENIORS LOSE SERIES TO FORT HUNT

After dropping a tight 4-3 decision to Fort Hunt in the District 9 final, Dumfries/Triangle/Quantico bounced back with a 13-0 thrashing of Fort Hunt. But the latter got the final win last Wednesday in the best-of-three series.

Fort Hunt now represents District 9 in the Virginia state tournament.

DTQ’s junior team was already in Claypool Hill for the state tournament, where Fort Hunt is now headed. The DTQ junior team opened the tourney with an 18-11 loss to Fairfax National from Fairfax County.

That dropped them to the loser’s bracket, where they rebounded to beat Naval Base 12-6 on Saturday, keeping them alive.

Brian Hunsicker covers summer baseball for the Potomac News & Manassas Journal Messenger. Reach him at (703) 878-8048.