CSUN’s Slaten Is Gone, but the Beatings Go On

For the last four years, the name Kathy Slaten was synonymous with Cal State Northridge softball. The right-hander, while blowing away hitters in record numbers, grabbed all the headlines in leading the Lady Matadors to three consecutive NCAA Division II titles and a second-place finish last year.

Now, in the year 1 A.S. (After Slaten), much remains the same. CSUN is back in the familiar spot as the top-ranked Division II team in the nation, the Lady Matadors continue to shine on the mound and receive timely hitting, and sixth-year Coach Gary Torgeson continues to pile up victories.

There is one major variation on this theme, however. Despite a pitching staff of four that is second to none, it is the Lady Matadors’ defense that has everybody talking.

“I feel really comfortable with our defense,” said shortstop Lori Shelly, whose outstanding range and accurate throwing were instrumental in CSUN’s three-game sweep of Cal State Bakersfield, 2-0, California Lutheran, 14-1, and Sonoma State, 9-0, Friday in the fifth Tournament of Champions, which ends Sunday at Northridge.

“Kat was always in the limelight, and people questioned if our defense could do it without her. Nothing against her, but our defense helped make her stand out.”

The defense certainly made the pitching trio of Delanee Anderson, Tracey Fox and, most notably, Lisa Martin, stand out.

Martin, a junior right-hander, capped off a day in which Northridge (31-5, 11-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn.) ran its winning streak to 20 games, by tossing an abbreviated perfect game in the 9-0 victory. The game was halted by the five-inning, seven-run rule.

“I have so much confidence in knowing that if there is any chance of fielding the ball, our infield will,” praised Martin (6-0), who also had a no-hitter March 29 against UC Riverside.

Anderson (9-2) threw a five-hitter against Bakersfield in the 2-0 win to start the tournament. She was the recipient of several defensive gems that helped her escape from several minor jams.

Catcher Andi Goodell made a sliding catch of a foul pop-up near the backstop. Right fielder Priscilla Rouse’s running catch killed a bases-loaded threat. Shelly took away three hits going deep into the hole in the fourth and sixth and far to her left in the fifth. Anderson even helped herself out in the seventh by fielding a grounder and nailing a runner sliding into third.

“Our defense has always been underrated,” offered third-baseman Barbara Flynn, who has yet to commit an error this season in 23 games. “Pitchers throw no-hitters, but who makes the plays behind them? It’s the pitcher, too. It’s all of us.”

A 10-run, third-inning explosion, ignited by a pair of solid, second-inning defensive plays by center fielder Barbara Jordan, was far more than Fox (6-0) would need against Cal Lutheran in a 14-1 romp, also called after five innings.

“The one thing that makes our defense so good,” said Torgeson, “is they’ve played together. But, they are also playing for a purpose. Many of them played on our team in the national tourney last year and didn’t win it. They feel they have something to prove.”