No longer unbeaten, Jackson places fifth at Cor Jesu

~ The Indians shut out the host team in thefifth-place game at theeight-team tourney.

The Jackson softball team did not leave St. Louis with their undefeated record intact.

But the Indians did leave with a lot of confidence after a 1-0 victory over Cor Jesu on Saturday in the fifth-place game of the Cor Jesu Haberstroh Tournament at Kirkwood Athletic Association.

"I think the girls are always a little intimidated and uptight when they come up here," said second-year Jackson coach Amanda Forester, whose team had won its first four games prior to the tournament. "But I think they proved that they can play against any team if they play their 'A' game."

That "A" game was on display against the host Chargers, as Jessica Tuschhoff tossed the shutout. She scattered six hits while walking two and striking out six.

The Indians played well defensively behind her as outfielders Brittany Feeney and Maggie Baugh and third baseman Roxanna Miller all made good plays.

"I feel confident in my defense," said Tuschhoff, a junior. "They made some good plays today."

A defensive miscue by Cor Jesu led to the only run of the game, in the first inning. Hana Bolen opened the game with a single and moved to second on an error by left fielder Tiffany Werckmann. Bolen moved to third on a grounder by Amanda Pitts and scored when Gretchen Mueller threw wildly to first on a grounder by Feeney.

"Tusch pitched really well in this tournament," Forester said. "She did a good job of hitting her corners."

Tuscchoff pitched extremely well in the first game of pool play Friday night. She allowed only four hits but one was a home run by Affton's Sami Deen.

Affton went on to win the tournament, defeating Lindbergh 9-2 in the championship game.

Jackson had an eight-inning 6-3 win over St. Louis Notre Dame in its other game Friday.

The Indians lost 11-4 to Jefferson City in its final pool play game Saturday. They answered a four-run first inning by Jefferson City with four runs of their own in the secondm but that is all the offense the Indians could muster. The Jays scored a run in the fifth and put it away with six in the sixth.

Jackson will play at Notre Dame on Wednesday before traveling to Arnold on Saturday to compete in the Seckman Tournament.

• Central finished winless in the tournament, the only team in the eight-team field to do so.

The Tigers lost pool play games against Lindbergh (8-5); Sperry, Okla. (6-0); and Cor Jesu (2-1). The Tigers then fell in the seventh-place game Saturday to St. Louis Notre Dame 6-1.