The District I all-stars downed New Jersey District-11, 8-1, on Tuesday morning to finish pool play unbeaten in the Big League softball Eastern Regional.

Kent County (4-0) goes into today’s semifinals as the top seed in the tournament being played in Worcester, Mass. District I will face Massachusetts District-3 (1-3) today at 9 a.m.

In the other semifinal, New York (3-1) takes on host Massachusetts District-4 (3-1) at 11:30 a.m. with the two winners squaring off at 4 p.m. The East champion advances to the World Series, which starts at Lower Sussex on Sunday.

Kerrigan Simpson and Shaina Reed both homered in Tuesday’s win, giving District I 10 homeruns in four games. Simpson (2 strikeouts) also teamed up with Haylee Scruggs (4 strikeouts) to limit New Jersey to one run.

Kasey Fry scored twice for Kent County.

Major League

East Regional, Rhode Island 8, Lower Sussex 3: Rhode Island scored five runs in the bottom of the second inning to overcome an early 3-1 deficit in the East Regional winners’ bracket finals on Tuesday.

After suffering its first loss in the tournament, Lower Sussex (3-1) will play again today at 7:30 p.m. in the loser’s bracket finals. The winner of that contest faces Rhode Island in Thursday afternoon’s championship game.

The tourney is being played in Bristol, Conn.

Kavier Townsend (1 RBI, 1 run) and Raychel Ehlers had two hits apiece for Lower Sussex while Sierra Livingston and Morgan McGee also scored runs.

Baseball

Intermediate

East Regional, Camden-Wyoming 7, Maryland 6: The Delaware state champions edged Maryland on Tuesday to finish with a 3-1 record in pool play in the regional being played at Long Island, N.Y.

Camden-Wyoming advances to today’s semifinals where it will face host Commack North, N.Y. at 11 a.m. Pennsylvania plays New Hampshire in the other semifinal with the title game scheduled for 11 a.m. on Thursday.

Senior League

East Regional, New Jersey 1, Cape Henlopen 0: Cape’s run in the East Regional ended with the loss in the losers’ bracket finals in West Deptford, N.J. on Tuesday evening.

The Delaware state champions won four straight games after losing their opener in the tournament. New Jersey, which scored the game’s only run in the second inning, will face Pennsylvania in today’s championship game with the winner advancing to the World Series in Bangor, Maine.

New Jersey’s Ed Gallagher threw a four-hitter with one strikeout and one walk on Tuesday. Zach Gelof, Richard Carey, Tommy Hefferman and Jason Dominick had Cape’s hits.

Special Olympics

Downstaters among Del. winners: After three days of competition in Los Angeles, Delaware’s four athletes are making their mark at the Special Olympics World Games.

Robin Long, 18, of Newark has captured a gold medal in the 400-meter medley relay. Her U.S. teammate Ginger Shaud, 18, of Rehoboth won silver in the 100 backstroke and 400 medley relay, and placed sixth in the 100 freestyle.

Bruce “Forrie” Brown (Wilmington) and Danny Yonker (Milford) won silver medals in the team bowling event. All four athletes have events remaining as the Games continue through Aug. 2.

College football

Hens picked sixth in CAA: Delaware was picked to finish sixth in the Colonial Athletic Association football poll that was announced on Tuesday morning.

Villanova was named the preseason favorite to win the league title, receiving 14 out of 24 first-place votes.  Wildcat quarterback John Robertson and linebacker Don Cherry were also named the league’s preseason Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.

The Blue Hens had three players named to the preseason all-conference team: Offensive lineman Ben Curtis, defensive lineman Blaine Woodson and punter Eric Enderson.

Delaware, which went 6-6 a year ago, opens the season on Sept. 4 by hosting Jacksonville.

College athletics

DSU receives grant from NCAA: Delaware State’s successful student-athlete graduation efforts have received a boost from the NCAA.

DSU is among nine Division I schools to share more than $4 million from the NCAA to support academic programs that help student-athletes earn degrees.

The NCAA has awarded Delaware State a three-year $450,000-grant from its Accelerated Academic Success Program. The grants help schools enhance their student-athlete graduation initiatives to meet the requirements of the NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program, which was developed to ensure schools provide an environment that supports education while enhancing the ability of student-athletes to earn a degree.

Louis “Skip” Perkins, interim associate vice president and athletics director, said he is “elated” that the NCAA committee selected DSU as a recipient of the Accelerated Academic Success Program grant.

“We will embrace the strengths of our campus — renowned faculty/staff, academic and career enhancement centers — and continue our campus-wide collaboration to solidify the academic foundation that is the cornerstone of the DSU athletic program,” he said.