Offensive-minded Illinois District 17 pummels opposing pitching once again in World Series

ROXANA, Del. — The beat goes on.

For the Illinois District 17 all-star softball team, it sounds a little something like this: Thump, thump, thumpity, thump.

Caitlin Bunte doubled and tripled in her first two at-bats Tuesday, Ava Wombles smoked a home run to left field and the Land of Lincolners collected 13 hits in an 11-1, five-inning victory over the Vine Ingle All-Stars from Macon, Ga., at Lyons Field in pool play at the Senior League World Series.

Illinois has won its first two games and will face the YYC All-Stars from Calgary, Alberta, at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. The YYC All-Stars beat Hawaii 7-6 on Tuesday and are 2-0 as well.

Tuesday’s victory for Illinois got off to the kind of start you’d expect from a team averaging 12 runs in its last eight games. Wombles, the Pleasant Hill product, led off the bottom of the first by reaching on an error, but she was erased when Rushville’s Italee Ford hit into a line-drive double play.

Springfield’s Mia Volpert and Chatham’s Taryn Griffith both singled to right field before Quincy Notre Dame’s Bunte doubled to center field for a 2-0 lead.

In the third, Ford reached on an error and scored on Griffith’s one-out double. Bunte followed with an RBI triple to left field to make it 4-0.

In the fourth, Wombles and Ford collected back-to-back one-out singles, and both scored when Griffith reached on an error with two outs. A five-run fifth inning ended the game as Pittsfield’s Emma Henry delivered a two-run single, Wombles hit a two-run homer to left field and Griffith drove in the final run with a single.

Griffith finished 3 for 4, while Wombles, Volpert and Bunte had two hits apiece.

Volpert earned the victory in the circle, allowing one run and five hits while striking out four and walking none.