Division's Anthony Papa tosses perfect game

Anthony Papa didn't button his jacket when he went back into the dugout. He tossed to the same teammate and used the same ball.

He didn't want anything to throw off the flow of perfection.

Papa, a junior, Monday tossed the first perfect game of his career and the first perfect game for Division (5-1) since at least the 1970s in an 8-0 win over Great Neck North in League A-II baseball, coach Tom Tuttle said.

Papa struck out 17 and allowed groundouts to shortstop, the pitcher and rightfield (Francis Alexander was playing shallow), and induced an unassisted out at first.

"My fastball had a little more kick than usual," said Papa, who set up batters with his breaking ball but relied on that fastball, his pinpoint control, pumped-up velocity, and movement, to get the outs. "It turned out to be a really good day."

Perfect, really.