Semifinal Pits Cor Jesu, Eureka

By Jeremy Rutherford
Of The Post-Dispatch

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Cor Jesu Academy and Eureka High each have waited three years to play in the state softball tournament and today they find themselves facing each other in a Missouri Class 4A semifinal.

Eureka (28-2) will meet Cor Jesu (25-3) at 11 a.m. in the first 4A semifinal at the Rainbow Softball Center in Columbia. Jefferson City (25-7) faces Blue Springs (28-2) in another semifinal at noon.

Three seasons ago, Cor Jesu and Eureka each advanced to the state semifinals, though Cor Jesu competed in Class 4A and Eureka was in Class 3A. Cor Jesu finished runner-up to Blue Springs in the title game and Eureka placed fourth.

"It seems like a long time ago, but I don't like thinking about that title game against Blue Springs," said Cor Jesu coach Marianne Haberstroh, whose Chargers stranded the bases loaded in the first inning and went on to a 4-0 loss.

Blue Springs became the first non-St. Louis area school to win the fall softball championship that year, and the Wildcats appear to be a solid contender again this season.

Three of the four teams remaining in the Class 4A tournament participated in the Cor Jesu Invitational in late August. Blue Springs won the title with a 10-0 victory over Jefferson City in the championship game. Cor Jesu finished fourth behind Nerinx Hall.

"I think this is truly a state tournament this year," Haberstroh said. "You really have four of the top teams in the state. Some years I don't think it's that way. But this is going to be a tough state tournament."

Cor Jesu and Eureka did not meet in the regular season this year. They had eight common opponents and each defeated seven of the eight. Cor Jesu lost 3-0 to Borgia and Eureka twice fell to Summit by the same score, 4-1.

But Haberstroh said that, in softball, comparing opponents isn't a good way of judging the outcome of the game. "We have to play the team that's on the field with us," Haberstroh said. "We've both been playing well, but on any given day, you could fall apart."

Eureka is on a 12-game winning streak, dating to its second loss to Summit on Sept. 13. Cor Jesu has won its last 20 games, with the Chargers' last defeat a 3-0 decision Sept. 1.



In Class 3A, Lutheran South (25-4) meets Incarnate Word (19-7) in a semifinal at 4:30 p.m. today. Marshfield (21-7) faces O'Hara (24-2) in the other semifinal at 5:30 p.m.

Lutheran South and IWA met one time this season, about two weeks ago, with Lutheran South winning 7-0. Lutheran South pitcher Jenny Rice, who leads the area in strikeouts with 230, had 12 in the Lancers' win over the Red Knights.