Gov. Jack Markell honors District I’s Big League World Series team in the governor’s office on Thursday. (Delaware State News/Marc Clery)[/caption]

District III shook off an early two-run deficit to down Asia-Pacific, 7-2, in the Senior League softball World Series on Thursday afternoon.

The Sussex County squad finishes 2-2 in pool play to earn a spot in today’s quarterfinals.

As the No. 3 team in Pool A, District III will face the second-place squad in Pool B today at 5 p.m. at Lower Sussex Little League in Roxana. The semifinals are slated for Saturday with the championship game on Sunday afternoon.

Asia-Pacific (1-3), from the Phillipines, jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. But District III answered right back with three runs in the bottom of the first and led the rest of the way.

Jordyn Virden had a two-run double in the first before a sacrifice fly from Hannah Jones scored Virden with the go-ahead run. Jones, who added an RBI double in the fifth, also drove in two runs.

Logan Walls (2 runs) and Virden each had two of District III’s seven hits in the contest with Shannon Lord adding an RBI and a run. District III tacked on two runs in both the fifth and sixth.

Pitcher Rachel Calloway went the distance for District III, throwing a seven-hitter with two walks and a strikeout.

Gov. Jack Markell gives District 1 players a pep-talk about texting and driving after honoring the Big Leaguers at the governor’s office on Thursday.[/caption]

Asia-Pacific committed five errors in the game.

Big League

U.S. Southwest 8, District-III 5: U.S. Southwest rallied for five runs in the top of the seventh to post the win on the final day of pool play in the Big League World Series on Thursday.

Tia Coleman’s three-run homerun gave U.S. Southwest the lead for good.

Sussex County’s District III finished 2-2 in pool play to earn the fourth spot in Pool B. It will play in today’s quarterfinals at 3 p.m.at Lower Sussex Little League in Roxana.

District III jumped out to a 4-0 lead with four runs in the bottom of the first. But the host team was able to add only one more run, in the fifth.

District III finished with 10 hits, getting two hits apiece from Mya Maddox (1 run), Autumn Carroll (1 run) and Sami Mumford (1 RBI). Alexandria Ullman also had an RBI.

Baseball

American Legion

New Jersey 4, Middletown Post-25 1: The Delaware state champions were ousted from the Mid-Atlantic Regional with the loss on Thursday in Leesburg, Va.

Middletown (0-2) scored its only run in the seventh inning after falling behind 3-0. Josh Willey drove in Brett Willett with a sacrfice fly to put Middletown on the board.

College soccer

Hens name captains: A trio of players have been selected as tri-captains for the University of Delaware women’s soccer team, coach Scott Grzenda announced Thursday on the eve of the team’s first preseason practice.

Senior midfielder Nikki Adams, junior defender Andrea Gunderson and senior defender Carolyn Seltzer will lead the Blue Hens as captains this fall.

Delaware returns 10 players with starting experience from a squad that went 8-9-2 a year ago and advanced to the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament quarterfinals for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Leading the returning players is senior forward Natalie Zelenky, who earned second team All-CAA and third-team all-region honors in 2015 when she ranked among the league leaders with 11 goals.

Delaware will play exhibition games on Aug. 10 at Lehigh and Aug. 12 at home vs. Bucknell. The team will open the regular season Aug. 19 at Villanova and compete at Syracuse on Aug. 21 and at Georgetown on Aug. 25 before the home opener Aug. 28 vs. Saint Joseph’s at Grant Stadium.