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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Fast Break

Baseball

Perfect game for Little Leaguer

An ice pack strapped around Jesus Sauceda’s potent right shoulder slipped down into his jersey, interrupting a post-game interview.

It was about the only thing Sunday that went wrong for the 13-year-old ace pitcher for Matamoros, Mexico. Sauceda pitched the fifth perfect game in Little League World Series history and the first in 29 years when he struck out all 12 batters in a 12-0 win over Emilia, Italy, at South Williamsport, Pa.

The game went four innings instead of the usual six because of Little League’s 10-run mercy rule.

“To be honest with you, I wasn’t expecting this,” Sauceda said through translator Sergio Guzman. He proudly displayed the ball that was the final pitch on a table.

“I was just going out there to throw.”

Did he ever. Italian batters were overmatched and Sauceda starred at the plate, too, going 3-for-3 with six RBIs, including a grand slam in the third.

“The speed of that pitcher doesn’t exist in Italy,” Italian manager Andrea Bettati said, shaking his head.

In other action Sunday, Trey Quinn tossed a no-hitter for Lake Charles, La., in a 9-0 shutout of Jeffersonville, Ind.; Tokyo defeated White Rock, British Columbia, 9-3; and Maracaibo, Venezuela, shut out Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 12-0. Waipahu, Hawaii, beat Tampa, Fla., 10-2 in the late game.

Sauceda got to three-ball counts only a couple of times.

Sauceda never dreamed about such a scene.

“I have dreamed of being a hero of one of the games, maybe winning the World Series eventually, but not such a great game all along,” he said.

The last perfect game at the World Series was thrown by Taiwan’s Chao-An Chen in 1979. Sauceda’s gem also came 51 years after Angel Macias of Monterrey, Mexico, threw a perfect game to win the Little League World Series championship.

Football

Rave reviews for Colts’ home

Gov. Mitch Daniels and Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay praised Lucas Oil Stadium during Saturday’s ribbon-cutting for the team’s new $720 million home.

Several hundred fans clad in Colts jerseys gathered around a stage at the north end of the 63,000-seat, retractable-roof stadium for the ceremony.

“This is about a place where we gather,” Irsay said. “It’s about community. It’s everyone’s stadium. This is the people’s stadium.”

The Colts’ first game at their new home is a preseason matchup with the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 24. It also will host the 2012 Super Bowl.

The first games in the new stadium next to the RCA Dome will be a pair of high school doubleheaders Friday and Saturday in the annual PeyBack Classic, sponsored by Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.

Forrest Lucas paid $121.5 million for the stadium’s naming rights.

Associated Press Associated Press