Batavia wins battle of unbeatens
Not even Mother Nature could stop Batavia from a perfect regular season.
The Bulldogs' girls golf team ran its season-long winning streak to 12 matches while handling St. Charles East its first loss of the year at a weather-shortened Upstate Eight Conference dual match Tuesday afternoon at Mill Creek in Geneva.
Returning state qualifiers Tara Cullerton and Megan Ramp had level-par, five-hole scores of 20 as the Bulldogs ran the table in their new conference with a ninth straight win.
Six players from each side were able to play five holes, and the Bulldogs' top four of Cullerton, Ramp, Kayla Lehman (22) and Abby (23) posted a collective 5-over-par total of 85.
The Bulldogs' abbreviated total was 13 shots better than the Saints' 98.
The Saints (9-1, 7-1), the two-time reining Class AA team state qualifiers, saw their nine-match winning streak halted by the Bulldogs' consistency and a fast-moving thunderstorm.
The schools played the back nine; Cullerton made birdie at Nos. 10 and 12, while Ramp hit all five greens in regulation for routine 2-putt pars.
"I think I started off (the season) a little bit higher than I wanted," said Cullerton, who has been the Bulldogs' top-rated player all three years. "I have been very happy with the way I have been playing lately."
In addition to their 12-0 overall record and 9-0 ledger in the conference, Batavia has captured tournament titles at Plainfield and Champaign Centennial this season.
The Bulldogs will look to make it a clean sweep of the league Tuesday at St. Andrews in the 10-team Upstate Eight Conference tournament.
Unlike the other sports in the new-look conference, there is no divisional distinction in girls golf.
The programs were not only both undefeated coming in but also have combined for four regional championships the past two seasons.
But it was all Batavia on Tuesday.
Nicole Rae, who established a new course record at Naperbrook last week with a 2-under-par 34 in the Saints' one-sided victory over Neuqua Valley, played her five holes in 4 over.
Paige Jordan and Anna Daley did likewise for the Saints; Kate VenHorst was the final Saints' contributor with a 6-over day.
"For the holes they played, Batavia played better than we did," St. Charles East coach Rod Osborne said. "I don't think any of (our girls) have ever played the back nine before."