Perfect Game

Seton Keough's Kristin Dulay pitched a perfect game as the Gators defeated Mercy, 5-0, in Catholic League softball yesterday.The junior right-hander, who has pitched every game this season for the Gators (12-2) and lost a 2-0, three-hitter to Mount de Sales Wednesday, struck out 11 in facing the minimum 21 batters.Megan Polek and Christina Thompson each went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the Gators.Pub Date: 4/30/99

Rarely has Mike Wooden pitched or played in a North County varsity baseball game the last three years without one or both of his parents and grandmother there to watch.Wooden achieved the ultimate for a pitcher Thursday with his mother and father, Ken, who taught him near-perfect mechanics at a young age, and grandmother looking on. The 6-foot junior right-hander threw a perfect game at No. 2 Old Mill, winning 2-0 with 15 strikeouts.His mother, Nancy, who normally keeps score of Mike's games when she gets there early, hustled from her job in Baltimore and got there for the last inning.

It was a game No. 12 North County (8-5) had to win to keep its playoff hopes alive in the 4A East Region. Junior Mike Wooden made sure the Knights got it by not allowing an Old Mill player to reach base.Working on a perfect game and holding a 2-0 lead over No. 2 Old Mill (10-3) in the last inning, Wooden started leadoff hitter Mike Longazel with three balls. A fastball made it 3-1 and Longazel hit the next pitch hard on the ground -- but right at first baseman Tweety Barton.Wooden (4-1) then struck out Brian Bogle and got Jimmy Greer on a grounder to complete the perfect game and 2-0 victory.

DETROIT (AP) -- Roger Clemens took a perfect-game bid into the seventh inning last night and finished with a two-hitter, as the Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-0, for their season-high seventh straight victory.The win moved the surging Red Sox within four games of the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East.The Red Sox have gone 28-12 since July 30 to get back into the race. Third-place Detroit, which has lost nine of 12, remained six games behind the Blue Jays.Clemens (15-8)

Southwestern's Joseph Sanford struck out 12 and pitched a no-hitter, throwing 62 pitches in a near-perfect 20-0 win against visiting Reginald Lewis in a Baltimore City baseball game yesterday. Sanford also contributed to his own cause by hitting a triple and driving in three runs. The Sabers were paced by Vernon Garrison, who went 4-for-4. Southwestern committed an error, spoiling Sanford's bid for a perfect game. No pitcher from the city has pitched a perfect game since Poly's Dustin Jones in 1995.

COLLEGE PARK -- As the last North East batter stepped to the plate in the seventh inning of yesterday's Class 2A state softball championship, the Hammond cheering section stood up as one and applauded. They were all well aware and appreciative of what they were watching -- perfection. Sophomore pitcher Stephanie Speierman wasn't about to disappoint, throwing the final three strikes to complete the task: a perfect game for a 4-0 win over the Indians from Cecil County that not only gave the No. 5 Golden Bears (24-1)

Andy Bair would have to strike out all 21 batters to top what he did at McDonogh yesterday. To say that Bair was perfect is understatement.Calvert Hall's 6-foot-5, 225-pound junior left-hander pitched a perfect game on a perfect day, blanking McDonogh, 3-0. Bair (5-1) needed 84 pitches in striking out 14 and not permitting an Eagle to reach base.Bair was involved in 18 of the 21 putouts with the 14 strikeouts, three assists and one putout (first baseman to pitcher covering).Only three other Cardinals fielders handled the ball -- Dominic Liberto and Adam Roberts caught rou tine back-to-back fly balls in left and center, respectively, in the fourth inning, and first baseman Jason Dean gathered in a foul pop in the sixth.

The defending Class 3A state champion Severna Park softball team had one obvious question going into the season. "How do you replace your emotional leader, your leader of the infield at shortstop and your leadoff hitter?" said coach Jeff Shepherd, referring to graduated All-Metro Player of the Year Lauren Haag. It turns out, the No. 3 Falcons (11-1) didn't have to look very far. Sophomore Katie Purcell has made a smooth adjustment from second base to shortstop as well as batting at the top of the order after hitting fifth last season.

BOYS Nick Purdy Hammond, baseball The senior left-handed pitcher required just 73 pitches (49 strikes) to throw a perfect game against Atholton last week, only the third perfect game in Howard County history and the first since Steve Johnson of Glenelg did it in 1990. Keeping his pitches on the outside corner and throwing predominantly two-seam fastballs, Purdy struck out seven in the 10-0 victory, and went to a three-ball count on just two batters. He also went 2-for-4 with an RBI. He almost lost the perfect game when the final batter, Tom Barker, crushed his first pitch to left field.

On the field: Jimmy Key took a perfect game into a scoreless sixth inning. After getting the first out, he served up a homer to former Oriole Sherman Obando, and Chris Widger lined the next pitch into right-center for a triple.In the dugout: Manager Davey Johnson had to do some creative writing when it came to making out the lineup card. Wanting to give Brady Anderson the day off to rest his tender knee, Johnson inserted infielder Jeff Reboulet in right field, where he started four games last year with Minnesota, and moved Jeffrey Hammonds to center.