Strikeout Machine

Baseball pitcher

Brad Everett, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 29, 2021

 

When Fox Chapel senior right-hander Dante DiMatteo faces a batter, chances are he is going to strike them out.

DiMatteo has been a strikeout machine for Fox Chapel this season. Coming into the week, he had punched 46 in 23 innings, which ranked second in the WPIAL. The Washington & Jefferson recruit fanned a season-high 12 against Penn Hills on April 12.

But until last Friday, DiMatteo had no wins to show for it. He changed that by tossing a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts in a 12-0, five-inning win at Woodland Hills. In five starts, he’s now 1-0 with a 1.83 ERA.

“He’s been really impressive,” Fox Chapel coach Jim Hastings said. “The only downside is that he didn’t get his first win until the other day. He’s pitched unbelievably well, but the games he’s pitched in have been close games or he’s come out in the fifth or sixth inning. We were super excited for him to get the win.”

Hastings said DiMatteo consistently throws in the mid-80s. He’s one of Fox Chapel’s top hitters, too, as he’s batting .379 (11 of 29) with team highs of 11 RBIs and 15 runs scored.