77 pitches (61 of them being strikes) was all he needed to do something no one in the history of Shawnee Mission Northwest has ever done.

It was a moment that every seven year old has reenacted in their back yard millions of times; something that only happens once or twice every decade. But for Adam Giacalone, it was just another day at the park.

“I was working the zone pretty well and when they made contact with the ball my defense was always there to back me up,” Giacalone said.

On April 20, 2010, senior pitcher Adam Giacalone threw the first perfect game in Shawnee Mission Northwest history.

In 7 innings, the Cougar hurler struck out 14 of the minimum 21 batters faced to lead Nortwest to a 5-0 victory over Olathe East.

Key plays included a hard hit groundball in the leftside of the indfield where sophomore Chase Rader made a backhanded grab and threw the runner out in a bang-bang at first. Senior Chris Mankser also chased down a hard hit fly ball to help Giacalone preserve his perfect game.

“Throwing a no hitter is one thing, but a perfect game is almost unheard of in high school baseball,” senior Chris Mankser said. “This really shows how much we trust one another on and off the field and how close we’ve come together over the past few months.”

After a slow start, timely hits by Cody Ball, Nick Feighner, Jake Thompson, and Chase Rader provided Giacalone and the Cougars with the run support needed to capture their fourth win in Sunflower League play.

The Cougars are now 7-2 on the season and face the Eagles of Olathe North tonight at 3 and 2.