Foothill rolls past Cimarron-Memorial

Carrying a perfect game into the fourth inning Tuesday, Foothill softball pitcher Shelbie Medrano swore she hadn’t even thought about it.

“I don’t really think about perfect games,” she said. “It doesn’t really matter. I just keep pitching my heart out and see what happens.”

Though Medrano’s potential perfect game was broken up in the fourth, the senior’s three-hitter still led the Falcons to a 6-1 home win over Cimarron-Memorial.

“As long as she can be consistent like that, the defense is going to get better and better,” Foothill coach Thomas Mayes said. “And then hopefully when we do get into (Southeast) league play, it all just comes together.”

Medrano allowed no earned runs on three hits and one walk, with 10 strikeouts.

At the plate, she was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, two doubles and a run scored.

Medrano’s two-run double with two outs highlighted a four-run second inning in which Foothill sent nine batters to the plate.

“It was a long time that the defense was out there,” Mayes said of the second inning. “They tend to go to sleep a little bit and make a few mistakes.

“If we’re mentally in the game and disciplined, then we can capitalize, and that’s what happened.”

Kylie Ishikawa was 2-for-2 with an RBI for defending Class 4A Sunrise Region champion Foothill (4-3).

Hanna Williams doubled and scored a run to lead Cimarron (4-3).

“We were not ready to play,” Spartans coach Steve Gorden said. “On the ride over, they just didn’t seem focused.”

Cimarron had the bases loaded with two outs in the fifth but didn’t capitalize.

Gorden was disappointed in his team’s “lack of focus, lack of leadership” early in a season filled with lofty expectations.

“We plan on winning the Northwest and going to state, to be honest,” he said. “We have the talent but didn’t show it today, that’s for sure.”

Cimarron’s Carrie Sheehan pitched a complete game. She scattered six hits, walked three and struck out eight.