Rocky Point JV Baseball Team Honors Little Leaguer Lazar LaPenna

ROCKY POINT, NY — The Rocky Point School District’s Junior Varsity Boys Baseball Team remembered Lazar LaPenna, who died last week while playing baseball, by wearing purple shirts for epilepsy awareness during their game against Kings Park, officials said.

The teammates’ shirts featured LaPenna’s initials over their hearts and they topped off their uniforms by wearing their old Little League hats, according to a news release from the district.

The 10-year-old LaPenna, who had epilepsy, collapsed at a Long Beach-Lido Beach Little League game at Point Lookout Park last Friday.

LaPenna had smacked a hit and had a seizure from the excitement, his father, Gregg, wrote on the Mets True Fans Facebook group, adding that the "Mets have lost their biggest fan,” GreaterLongIsland.com reported.

Rocky Point’s coach, Dan Capell, said LaPenna’s story "hit home for a lot of us and we wanted to do something before our game to honor the young man."

“After the game, our players decided to place their shirts on the mound and stand arm and arm for a moment," he said. "It was a great day that was about more than just baseball.”

Jerry Barmash contributed additional reporting to this story.