Delta edges Patriots (09/08/06)

The number 199 has not been kind to the Patriots.

Jay County's girls golf team has scored 199 twice this year, both in close defeats. The second of those came Thursday night when JCHS fell just short against the Delta Eagles, 196-199, in its final home dual match of the season.

The Patriots also fell 198-199 to the Anderson Highland Scots Aug. 14.

"We let one get away," said Jay County coach Tom Ferguson, whose team will play one more time at Portland Golf Club when it hosts the Olympic Athletic Conference tournament Monday at 2 p.m. "Our top three players' short game is really struggling right now. We had way too many three-putts."

Trisha Champ played excellent from tee to green, but couldn't get any putts to fall as she led the Patriots with a 43. Amanda Jordan carried Delta as she ran in four pars in a stretch of five holes and finished with a 40 on the back nine at PGC.

But the highlight of the match came from Jay County sophomore Ivy Simons.

In the midst of one of a solid round, Simons hit her second shot on the 268-yard, par-4 17th hole into the creek about 40 yards short of the green. It caused her no problems.

She took her drop on the far side of the creek and her next went in the hole to save a par.

Simons also had a par on the 260-yard, par-4 11th without the adventure of being in the water, and added bogeys on the 420-yard, par-5 12th and 125-yard, par-3 15th. Her score of 48 was second best on the team behind Champ and beat her previous top score by two strokes.

"Ivy has been battling for the last varsity position since she returned from band camp," said Ferguson. "She played a great round and caught a couple of breaks tonight.

"She had a lot of good holes. There's just one seven on the score card - that's good for her."

Champ's round was full of near-miss birdie and par attempts as she finished with five three-putts and a total of 23. She had pars on No. 12 and the 120-yard, par-3 18th, and bogeys on holes 10, 11, 13, 14, 15 and 16.

Senior Miranda Denney had her share of ups and downs for a 51. She posted a couple of pars on the 465-yard, par-5 14th and No. 18, but also needed seven strokes on four holes.

Fellow senior Ashley Bunch opened with pars on No. 12 and the 101-yard, par-3 13th on the way to a 57. Brittany Lewis finished with four bogeys in a round of 61.

Ferguson said he's hoping his team can make a run at the OAC crown Monday and avenge the losses to Highland and Muncie Southside (197-209 Wednesday).

"Definitely our goal Monday is to put ourselves in a position to win," he said. "If all of our five girls shoot what they're capable of ... we'll have a chance to get (favorite) Connersville."

Junior varsity

Jay County stayed unbeaten with a 223-262 win over Delta led by Jennifer Hunt's 51.

Hunt had bogeys on Nos. 10, 13 and 15, and closed her round with a par on the 18th. Her previous best score was a 55.

Rachael Osterholt added a personal-best 55, Brittany Schlater shot 56, and Cindy Muhlenkamp had a season-best 61.

Madison Evans had the best score for the Eagles with a 60.[[In-content Ad]]