Hastings Pitcher Throws A Career-Crowning Perfect Game

By Tom Pedulla–

When Hastings right-hander Andrew Ciszewski warmed up for a recent game against Rye Neck, the results were not promising. He was bouncing curveballs and spiking fastballs, leaving them well short of the plate. Then the game began and he was, well, untouchable. Backed by flawless defense, the senior struck out 11 and did not walk a batter in hurling the first perfect game in his school’s 117-year history with a 2-0 gem that will never be forgotten.

 “That felt pretty amazing,” said Ciszewski. The 6-2, 179-pound Class B Conference 1 Pitcher of the Year painted the plate with his fastball. His curveball buckled hitters at the knees. His changeup was lethal. “It was lights out from the moment he took the mound,” said Coach Scott Stampfl.

Many pitchers would struggle to keep their cool and inevitably make a mistake in such a pressure-packed situation. Not Ciszewski. “He didn’t show any emotion. He didn’t crack a smile until the last out,” said Stampfl. “You wouldn’t know he was throwing a perfect game.”

 Ciszewski credits his unflappable demeanor to his older brothers. Jake, 22, and Luke, 19, both played high school baseball. “They never trash talked or anything like that,” he said.

Andrew Rizzo gave the Yellowjackets ace a slim 1-0 margin in the second inning when he singled in Aidan Curtis from second base. Senior center fielder Johnny Sbrega tacked on an insurance run with a tremendous home run in the fifth.

Ciszewski was quick to applaud his defense, which remained steady even as pressure mounted. “I think everyone understood how important it was and did a great job out there,” he said.

Hastings registered the final out when third baseman Avi Rothstein cleanly fielded a ground ball and fired a strike across the diamond to first baseman Matthew Corbo to trigger a massive celebration. The historic effort capped a superb regular season for All-Section performer Ciszewski, who finished that portion of the season with a 4-2 record and a glittering 1.71 ERA to go with one save. He struck out 74 batters and walked 18 in 49 innings. Opponents batted just .197 against him. The Yellowjackets closed the regular season at 12-8.

Ciszewski credits his breakthrough year to experience he gained while competing last summer and to overall maturation. “I’ve learned more about what pitches to throw in certain situations,” he said. The improvement of his changeup, which goes a long way toward keeping hitters off balance, is another key. He called his dramatically better changeup a “game changer.”

He plans to attend Binghamton University in September and will possibly attempt to make the baseball team as a walk-on. Whatever the future holds, Ciszewski will always treasure one perfect afternoon.

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