Notebook : Craig Doesn’t Let Infraction Take Him Out of Running

Early in his round at the Southern Section individual boys’ golf championship last week, Santa Margarita’s Kelly Craig looked down at his golf bag and got a sinking feeling. Somehow he was carrying an extra wedge, giving him 15 clubs.

Apparently, either he or his friend, Kris Lester of Riverside North, had put Lester’s wedge in the bag after hitting together on the range before the tournament. “I think he might have accidentally put it in there,” Craig said, “because I don’t remember grabbing three wedges.”

Craig was remarkably calm after his round, considering the mistake cost him four penalty strokes. He finished with 76, good enough to advance to the CIF-Southern California Golf Assn. individual championship, but 72 would have tied him for fourth.

Craig, a junior, said he was proud of the way he handled the bad news. After a Southern Section official told him about the penalty strokes, he birdied the next two holes and was three-over par after nine holes.

“I was feeling good at the turn,” Craig said, “even though I made a dumb mistake.”

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Foothill’s Erica Hoernig has broken her county pole vault record again. She did it Wednesday at a last-chance qualifying meet at Azusa Pacific for the U.S. Track and Field Olympic trials.

Hoernig cleared 12-0 3/4, surpassing her county record by 4 3/4 inches. She finished second to American record-holder Tiffany Smith, who cleared 13-6; the national record is 13-7.

The top 12 women will compete in the Olympic trials in late June in Atlanta; Hoernig’s 12-0 3/4 puts her No. 7 on the women’s list.

“The last time she jumped well [and cleared 11-8],” said her coach, Matt Bain, “it seemed to upset a few of the other jumpers and a bunch of them moved ahead of her.”

Hoernig qualified Friday for the state track and field meet at 11-0.

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Canyon is the surprise team of the Division I softball playoffs, and Coach Lance Eddy has no higher praise for anyone than his pitcher, Veronica Lopez. “Without her,” he said, “we’d only have 10 wins.” They have 22.

The team is clearly enjoying its position and playing relaxed--as exhibited by its play against the Panthers: “We really have nothing to lose,” senior catcher Kristie Hiatt said. “If we win, we win. If not, we did our best. That’s all we ask from each girl.”

Today, Canyon faces Mater Dei at Cypress College.

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Saugus might have felt a little trepidation when it went to La Habra for its second-round game in Division II softball--the third-seeded Centurions have lost four games this season--two to Orange County teams, Woodbridge and Foothill, and another to Upland in an Orange County tournament.

Saugus got past La Habra, 1-0, after getting only one person on base through four innings.

Correspondents Eric Maddy and Don Turnbull and staff writer Martin Henderson contributed to this story.