Destin Marlins whip Panthers in opener

In their season opener, the Destin Middle School Marlins beat the visiting Davidson Panthers of Crestview 8-1 in girls' softball action Monday afternoon.

“We did good, but we’ve got some work to do,” said Destin Coach Brittany Cahoon.

“Our hitting was good and the base running was fantastic,” she added.

However, she said there is still room for improvement.

Leading the Lady Marlins at bat were Bailey Phillips and Mary Owens, who each made two hits. Miranda Treadway also had a double.

Destin got on the board first with a run in the second inning, with Owens scoring on an error and some crafty base running.

In the bottom of the third, Destin picked up three more runs. Sam Sherer was hit by a pitch, then Phillips singled. Sherer and Phillips both scored. Treadway belted a double and scored on a double by Owens for a 4-0 advantage.

In the top of the fourth, Davidson scored its only run of the game on three hits.

In the bottom, Destin added four more runs. Alyanni Enriquez walked and then the Davidson pitcher hit the next two Marlins. Enriquez stole home before Phillips smacked a double to left field to score Mckenzie Toth and Sherer, who were both hit by pitches. Phillips slipped in home on a passed ball to score the eighth run.

Running out of daylight, Davidson got one more chance at bat but never made it past first base.

Owens went the distance in the circle for the Marlins, striking out seven, walking two and giving up four hits.

Up next for Destin is a 4 p.m. game March 20 at Pryor Middle School in Fort Walton Beach.