Cooper has laugher in 5A bi-district softball victory

By TED DUNNAM
Assistant Sports Editor

Eleven runs, eight hits, three errors, four wild pitches.

And that was just the bottom of the first inning.

Cooper, acquitting itself as it should against a first-year program, pounded out 21 hits and took advantage of eight Lubbock Monterey errors to post a 26-0 Class 5A bi-district girls softball win Friday at Redbud Park.

Head coach Connie Finn's team will next meet El Paso Hanks in an area game set for 5 p.m. Friday at Bill Williams Complex in Midland.

While the Lady Cougars were plenty potent in the batter's box, Cooper pitcher Beth Hurley (14-6) was equally effective on the mound, permitting a lone single in a complete game performance.

"No game is ever easy," Hurley said. "This was good practice for us. We're not underestimating anybody. We're going to take each game as it comes."

"I didn't feel in control of my pitches all the time because my arm got stiff in between the long innings. But I think the team is playing well and we're finally starting to peak."
Hurley allowed just a two-out single to right field in the fourth inning, and no Monterey player advanced past second base for the entire game.

Meanwhile, the Lady Cougars sent 15 batters to the plate in the first inning in taking an 11-0 lead. They scored just once in the second inning, but came back with 10 more in the third to lead 22-0 after three.

A four-spot in the fourth culminated Cooper's offense for the day.

In the opening inning, the first three Lady Cougars reached base. A walk to Jill Malone and a run-scoring double by Traci Perez would be all the offense Cooper would need on this day. Melissa Parker followed with a RBI single for a 2-0 score.

Cooper led just 3-0 with two outs in the inning, but singles by Kim Cheek and Stacy McNeil were followed by a double from Hurley. Malone then reached on an error, Perez walked and Parker ripped a two-run double.

That hit made the score 9-0. A single by Lauren Wallace and an error brought home the final two runs of the inning.

The 10-run third inning was highlighted by two-run triple and a two-run double from Kristy Scarborough.

"We knew we had to come out and stay focused, and I thought the girls did a good job of that," Finn said. "I thought we hit the ball well, and I was pleased with the way we played defense."