BIDDEFORD — The best 11- and 12-year-old Little League baseball teams in the state descend upon Biddeford today, as the city hosts the division’s state tournament.
All games in the week-long tournament will take place at Hill Street Field, culminating with the crowing of a state champion next Thursday or Friday.
“We’re pretty excited about it,” Biddeford Little League president Dan Michaud said about hosting the tournament. “The Maine state tournament is a big event. We’re re proud of it.”
Highlighting the six-team bracket is the team from Saco, which beat Biddeford to win the District 4 title. The other participants are: District 1 champion Coastal; District 2 champion Waldo County; District 3 champion Bronco; District 5 champion Auburn Suburban; District 6 champion Falmouth.
The games kick off with the tournament opener between Auburn Suburban and Falmouth today at 2:30 p.m., followed by Waldo County and Bronco facing off at 5:30 p.m.
Saco will face the winner of Friday’s opener at 10 a.m. Saturday, with Coastal taking on the winner of Friday’s nightcap later Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Michaud said rain during the week has made getting the field prepared an adventure, but he expected it to be in top shape for the start of the first game.
“We’ve got the field in great shape,” said Michaud, noting that he had a crew preparing the facility every night for the past two weeks. “The field looks great.”
The double-elimination tournament will feature games every day until a possible championship game next Thursday. A “what if” game will be played on Friday if necessary.
The state champion will advance to the New England Region Tournament in Bristol, Connecticut, which will begin on August 1.
Saco will be looking to win the state tournament for the second year in a row, albeit with a different group of players. This year’s roster, however, is no stranger to winning state championships, as most of the players were on last year’s team that won the 10- and 11-year-old state tournament.
— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or sports@journaltribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.
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