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.