Sliders capture division title

The Surf City Sliders, a Huntington Beach Girls Softball Under-8 Gold team, won its division Sunday at the state Tournament of Champions in Lancaster.

Twenty-two U-8 district champions vied for the division title at Tierra Bonita Park.

Surf City ace Katelyn Drake pitched two no-hitters during the tournament. The Sliders outscored their opponents, 33-2. In the division final, the Sliders blanked Mira Mesa, 4-0.

During the postseason, the Sliders outscored their opponents by a whopping 251-34 margin.

The Sliders qualified for the tournament by winning the Central District championship the previous week. During the season, they won five tournament championships and finished second in another.

“It was truly a team effort,” Manager Anthony Dorame said.

Drake had entered the state tournament with 12 shutout games, seven no-hitters and one perfect game where she struck out all 15 batters, in the postseason. Jaeyln Operana, Kelly Ryono and Shayla Thomas each had batting averages of .610 or more. Catcher Marlene Friedman earned two MVP awards,

The Sliders are Manager Anthony Dorame, Coach Scott Drake, Coach Cheri Botts, Ashley Jorgenson, Kami Petit, Emily Gray, Maddie Botts, Jaeyln Operana, Kaitlin Drake, Natalie Dorame, Shayla Thomas, Megan Ryono, Marlene Friedman, Kelly Ryono and Renee Wolf.

Huntington Beach Girls Softball enjoyed plenty of success in tournament play this year. The U8 Silver team had three first-place and one third-place finishes; the U-10 Silver team had one second-place and one third-place finishes; the U10 Gold team finished fourth at district to qualify for State; the U12 Silver team had a pair of second-place and one third-place finishes, and the U14 Gold team had three first-place and one second-place finishes.

Lacrosse tournament a success

The inaugural Surf City Showdown lacrosse tournament drew more than 400 participants over a two-day period June 29-30 at the Huntington Beach Sports Complex. Below is a list of the top three standings in each division:

5/6 Grade: 1. FCA U13 (South County); 2. Crush (Tustin); 3. Huntington Beach Blackhawks.

7/8 Grade: 1. FCA U15 (South County); 2. Silverfin (Ventura); 3. Crush (Tustin).

High School: 1. Crush (Tustin); 2. Diablos (Mission Viejo); 3. Huntington Beach Oilers.