SOFTBALL : No-Hitter Is a First in Slow-Pitch Game

Getting a hit in a slow-pitch softball game is only slightly more difficult than getting one in a T-ball game, and that makes North Hollywood’s Dave Smith unique.

The Cal State Northridge sophomore threw a no-hitter during the L.A. City Softball Championships, the first ever recorded in an L.A. Dept. of Recreation and Parks softball game, according to John Pierce, a department spokesman.

“Even a bad-hitting team should poke a single here or there,” said Mike Steinberg of Reseda, manager of the Hidden Talent Giants team on which Smith plays. “You’ve got to think, playing slow-pitch softball, that if you don’t get a hit there’s something wrong with your lineup.”

The Pythons, who suffered the 3-0 loss, were not immediately aware that they had been held hitless. “They were kind of stupefied after the game,” said Steinberg, who played first base.

“For a tournament game, it was unbelievable,” Steinberg said. “Dave was just hitting the spots. He was consistently hitting the back of the plate and putting some spin on the ball.”

Smith moved from second base to the mound this season and threw a shutout in his first game.

He helped the Giants to a 9-3 record and a second-place finish in their division. They were eliminated from the tournament, suffering a 13-5 loss in their third game. Smith struck out 2, walked 2 and faced 22 batters in seven innings in the men’s slow-pitch B Division tournament opener last month.