Glendale Junior All-Stars grab District 16 championship

By Charles Rich, <em><a href=”mailto:charles.rich@latimes.com”>charles.rich@latimes.com</a></em>

July 10, 2014 10:10 PM PT

GLENDALE — Allison Alzate and her teammates appeared rejuvenated.

It came at an ideal time for the members of the Glendale Little League Junior Softball All-Star team, who looked to win the District 16 championship Thursday night against Tujunga at Scholl Canyon Ball Fields.

Alzate stood out in the circle, as she scattered three hits to lead Glendale to a 12-2 victory in the tournament’s if-necessary championship contest. The game was called in the bottom of the sixth because of the 10-run mercy rule.

Glendale, representing Crescenta Valley, Foothill and Vaquero Little League, will next meet the District 51 champion in an opening-round contest of the Section 2 Tournament at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Scholl.

“The adrenaline was rushing and it means a lot [to win the championship],” said Alzate, who pitched all six innings and helped Glendale bounce back from a 6-3 defeat Wednesday against Tujunga in the championship game. “I tried my hardest and pounded the ball inside.

“We played good defense.”

Glendale, which opened the two-team tournament Tuesday with a 15-9 victory at Scholl, finished with nine hits Thursday. Glendale never trailed and had two errors, both in the first inning.

Alzate, a right-hander, appeared to get stronger each inning.

“Allison just went out there and pitched so well,” Glendale Manager Will Thayer said. “She had it in her to go out there and get the job done and that was one of the best efforts I’ve seen before, because she mostly threw her first pitch for a strike.

“I liked the way we were able to bounce back after Wednesday. Credit Tujunga for shutting us down [Wednesday]. It’s very gratifying to win the championship.”

Glendale took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a run-scoring groundout by Sammy Serano.

Glendale then scored three runs in the third to make it 4-0. Alzate had a two-run single to give Glendale a 3-0 lead. She then scored on an error to make it 4-0.

Tujunga trimmed the deficit to 4-2 with a pair of runs in the fifth.

Glendale responded in a big way, scoring six runs in the fifth to take a 10-2 advantage.

Serrano drove in a run to make it 5-2. Alyssa Sinisterra had a two-run single to pad the lead to 7-2. Catalina Alonso, who registered a pair of hits, then had a run-scoring double before scoring on an error to raise the advantage to 9-2. Glendale scored two runs in the sixth to complete the scoring.

“It’s my first time to win a [District 16] championship,” Serrano said. “It feels awesome.”

Follow Charles Rich on Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich .