By Derryl Trujillo
On the field, Murrieta Mesa’s softball team started their series with Great Oak in a three-way tie for first place with the Wolfpack and Vista Murrieta on Tuesday afternoon. However, their title defense was dealt a big blow after it was discovered that Mesa had violated CIF-SS rules regarding the maximum number of allowable contests.
Here is the applicable rule directly from the Blue Book (CIF-SS’s governing document) …
Blue Book #2708 – “A softball team will be permitted to play no more than 28 games during the season, including tournaments but excluding the playoffs.”
This season the Rams are currently 15-5 with ten games left entering Tuesday’s game with Great Oak. They’ll be over the limit for their two games currently set with Vista Murrieta on 4/26 and 4/28 which will be the contests forfeited to get back in compliance.
Murrieta Mesa has also pulled out of this year’s Michelle Carew Classic in Orange County as a result of the error. They were ranked 9th in this week’s CIF-SS division one poll.
Rams Athletic Director, John Broussard, remarked on Tuesday “It’s a very unfortunate situation that lands on my desk as the AD and I have to do better. Our team was eager to take on the best teams in the country and we signed up for some tournaments that had more than our allowable number of contests. Fortunately, we still control our own destiny and with such a talented group we still have a shot to make a deep run in the postseason. I believe in these players and coaches. They are fighters.”
Derryl Trujillo can be reached at socaltrekkie@gmail.com.
