Marina, Esperanza Have Bad Feelings
The controversy surrounding last Thursday’s match between top-ranked Marina and No. 4 Esperanza has been sorted out, but repairing the good will between the teams may take some time. Crying, shouting and accusations of rules violations marked the end of the tightly contested match, and after the dust settled, Marina ended up with a 219-220 victory because of an addition error on an Esperanza scorecard.
On the final hole of the match, Esperanza’s Vicki Yang called a penalty shot on Marina’s Elizabeth Cruz for touching her ball at address. Cruz disputed the charge, but eventually signed for a score that included the additional stroke--a 52. When all the scores were totaled the teams apparently had tied at 219. Esperanza claimed victory based on league tiebreaker rules that dictate the sixth score should be used. Esperanza’s Melissa Lox scored 53 to edge Marina’s Kara Congelleire.
Marina Coach Frank Ruotolo then became upset about the additional stroke assessed to Cruz. “At that stage, you just don’t pull that kind of baloney,” Ruotolo said. “I thought that penalty ended up costing us the match. I accepted the penalty because she signed for it, but my girls are crying and distraught about it and when I left, there were some hard feelings.”
Ruotolo was prepared to file a protest with the Southern Section, but Esperanza Coach Mike Davis later discovered an error on the scorecard of Lindsey Holst. Davis said Holst’s card added up to a 45, but that she had submitted a 44. The additional stroke changed Esperanza’s score to 220 and eliminated the sixth-player tiebreaker.
Davis called Ruotolo to concede the match, but said the incident has altered his relationship with Ruotolo. “We used to be friends, but he was acting like a wild man out there,” Davis said. “I’ll see him again and I’ll shake his hand, but this has definitely changed some things.”
Home-sand advantage: Desert Willow golf resort is Palm Desert’s home course, but Aztec Coach Jack Stewart is downplaying the advantage his team will have at the Southern Section finals there next month.
Anyway, with senior Ashley Forbes averaging 38 and freshman Alana Erlandson averaging 40, Palm Desert may not need an advantage. The Aztecs average around 215, have a season low of 205 and are 13-0 heading into the final .
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THE TIMES’ RANKINGS
1. Huntington Beach Marina (13-0, SS--Sunset)
Not finished with league rival Esperanza, they’ll meet again in postseason.
2. Palm Desert (13-0, SS--Desert Valley)
Can’t wait for Southern Section finals at home course.
3. Long Beach Wilson (10-0, SS--Moore)
Bruins in good shape as regular season winds down.
4. Anaheim Esperanza (12-2, SS--Sunset)
Aztecs aren’t deterred by one-stroke loss to Marina.
5. Dana Hills (12-0, SS--South Coast)
Dolphins have the depth to make a run at section title.
6. Camarillo (11-0, SS--Pacific View)
A 210 and a 214 last week should get the Scorpions some respect.
7. Palos Verdes Peninsula (11-0, SS--Bay)
Panther “B” team could challenge for several other league titles.
8. Redondo Beach Redondo Union (11-0, SS--Ocean)
Shot 222 last week at Los Verdes, a positive sign for Sea Hawks.
9. Goleta Dos Pueblos (12-1, SS--Channel)
Will get another shot at Camarillo in two weeks at Northern regional.
10. North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake (10-0, SS--Mission)
Wolverines have experience, can’t be overlooked.