Slouber tosses no-hitter in 2-0 win
Hamlet Nalbandyan
Kirsten Slouber is the new girl on the team, but the 15-year-old
just might be the person to take the Glendale Senior Softball team to
its second consecutive World Series championship.
The reigning title holders had no problem moving into the
championship game of the Little League Section 2 Tournament, all
thanks to Slouber’s dominance in the circle and the stellar defense
behind her.
Glendale, the District 16 representative, beat District 17’s San
Marino, 2-0, Sunday at Montrose Park as Slouber tossed a no-hitter.
She faced just two batters above the minimum.
What’s impressive about her no-no is not the fact that she struck
out just two batters, but that it came against last year’s World
Series champion in the Junior Softball level.
“I have to give it up for my defense,” said Slouber, who recorded
15 groundball outs.
“I have the complete and outermost confidence in them, and I just
let them handle everything.”
Eight of the first nine outs came way of groundouts, as shortstop
Krystal Phillips and second baseman Priscilla Lopez showed why they
might be the best tandem up the middle at the Senior Softball level.
And the two are pretty good with the bat, too. With two outs in
the third, Lopez singled to left, stole second and came home as
Phillips singled up the middle.
Phillips rounded home after Danielle Soule provided the teams’
third consecutive hit in the inning with another single to center.
The two runs were more than enough for Slouber, as San Marino
(1-1) -- which has eight girls from last year’s championship team --
had just two runners reach base, both on errors.
Glendale’s run for a repeat continues at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, as
Dave Stauffer’s squad (2-2) goes for its third consecutive Section 2
title, most likely against San Marino.