Pekin softball lights up Lone Tree

LONE TREE ? An estimated 300-foot home run by Maranda Baker was just one of several highlights for the Pekin softball team in an 18-3 rout of Lone Tree Thursday.

The Panthers needed just four frames to score the 18 runs, scratching across five runs in the first three innings before exploding for 13 in the fourth. Altogether, Pekin tallied 16 hits.

?Even our outs were hit hard tonight,? said Pekin head coach Bryan Marlay. ?We have the ability to score like this, now we just have to do this on a consistent basis.?

In addition to Baker?s homer, Tori Davis hit her first career home run, and Marlay said Caylee Johnson, who went 2 for 3 with two RBI, had her ?best game yet.?

Davis went 2 for 3 with three RBI, Baker had three RBI and Brandi Millikin knocked in two runs on 3-for-4 hitting. Brittany Gillam scored three times.

Starter Leslie Stone, who contributed from the plate with three hits, earned her 13th win of 2012.

The Panthers (15-10, 9-5 SEISC north) have won three straight conference games and remain tied for third with Columbus in the north division. Mediapolis is first with two conference losses and Highland is second with three.

Pekin hosts its annual tournament starting at 9 a.m. Saturday.