Area’s Best City Teams Punchless in Softball Finals : 3-A: Verdugo Hills goes hitless against Garfield and loses, 2-0.

Carried all season by strong pitching and hot bats, the Verdugo Hills High softball team displayed one but not the other in Tuesday’s City Section 3-A Division championship game against Garfield at UCLA’s Easton Stadium.

Verdugo Hills starter Melanie Wood allowed four hits, striking out eight and walking two. But the Dons were ice cold at the plate, as Garfield’s Alma Limon threw a no-hitter, carrying the Bulldogs to a 2-0 victory and their first softball city championship.

It was the second title-game loss in a row for Verdugo Hills, which won the 3-A title in 1993. The Dons (15-4), who lost to Monroe in last year’s final, gave themselves virtually no chance to beat Garfield. The Dons’ only baserunner reached on Limon’s lone walk.

“We only hit the ball on the button once or twice,” said Verdugo Hills Coach Dan Balkey, who announced his resignation in April, effective at the end of the season. “We were very nervous; you could see it in their eyes.”

The Dons beat Garfield, 5-2, on March 6, but couldn’t duplicate that performance against Limon (18-3). The senior right-hander struck out only one batter but recorded eight outs on ground balls and 12 on fly balls.

“You could tell [Verdugo Hills] was nervous,” Limon said. “They’re a real good hitting team and last time they were sticking the ball.”

The Dons were also hurt by a misplay by freshman right fielder Rhianna Slimak in the top of the sixth.

With the game scoreless, Garfield’s leadoff batter, Maria Medina, lofted a fly ball to right field. Slimak appeared to be in position to make the catch but took several steps forward and then had to chase the ball all the way to the fence. Medina wound up with a triple.

Balkey said outfield play was a worry for his team, which pummeled L.A. CES and Roosevelt in its first two playoff games.

“Our main concern was going back on the ball and it hurt us,” said Balkey, whose team committed three errors. “We only had five or six balls hit to the outfield in the playoffs. They were flat-footed and not ready.”

Three pitches after Slimak’s miscue, and with the Verdugo Hills infield playing in, Medina scored on a soft liner to shallow right by Vanessa Cardona, who took second on the throw to the plate. Cardona moved to third on Jennifer Inzunza’s groundout and scored on a single by Liz Mendez.

“When [Medina] got that triple and scored, I thought the game was over,” Garfield Coach John Benson said. “Our defense is superb and it’s rare for us to beat ourselves.”

Balkey had hoped the Dons could grab an early lead against Garfield (18-3). But that was wishful thinking.

“We needed to score right away to give ourselves a confidence boost,” he said. “[Garfield] didn’t have to play great defense and we couldn’t bunt or push runners along because we didn’t have any.”

Lost in the shadow of Limon’s performance was Wood (13-3), a junior right-hander who allowed runs in only 16 of 107 innings and will be one of six starters returning for the Dons next season.