Lubbock Cooper Shuts Out Palo Duro 11-0 to Open District Play

Jake Qualia on the mound for the Pirates. [Steven Liles/Sideline Sports]

LUBBOCK – The Lubbock Cooper Pirates kicked off district play in dominant fashion Saturday, shutting out the Palo Duro Dons 11-0 behind a seven-run second inning and a stellar outing from Jake Qualia.

The Pirates wasted no time setting the tone, striking early in the bottom of the first with four straight RBI singles down the left-field line from Jaxon Turnbow, Cole Marshall, Wyatt Self, and Gus Cook.

Jaxon Turnbox at the plate.

Lubbock-Cooper blew the game open in the second inning. An error plated the first run before Turnbow drove in another with a sacrifice fly. Cruz Lopez and Self followed with back-to-back doubles, pushing three more runs across. Ryan Rodriguez chipped in with an RBI single, and another Palo Duro miscue allowed the final run of the frame to score, giving the Pirates an 11-0 lead.

Qualia handled the rest from the mound, tossing a complete-game shutout. The right-hander was nearly untouchable, allowing just two hits over five innings while striking out six and issuing no walks. Palo Duro’s Dominik Mata took the loss, surrendering 11 runs (eight earned) on 10 hits over four innings.

The Pirates’ offense tallied 10 hits on the day, with Self and Santiago Luevano leading the way with two each. Self finished 2-for-2 with a team-high three RBIs. Defensively, Lubbock-Cooper was flawless, not committing a single error, while Lopez recorded five defensive plays.

Palo Duro struggled to find any offensive rhythm, with Jabrelyn Wilson and Mata each collecting the Dons’ only hits.

Lubbock-Cooper (10-7 overall 1-0 in district) will look to keep the momentum going Tuesday as they travel to Amarillo for a district rematch with Palo Duro.