Little League's Best In North Reading Next Week

The top four Little League teams in Massachusetts will head to North Reading Thursday, July 27, to decide who's the best in the state and who gets to continue chasing the dream of a national championship.

Benevento Park on Central Street will host four days of competition starting with the first game at 3:30 p.m. on the 27th. The four top teams in the state will be competing in a round-robin tournament to determine who will advance to the regionals and move one step closer to the Little League World Series. Admission to all games is free. This weekend the four sectional champions will be decided.

After the 3:30 game between the Section 1 winner and Section 2, the opening ceremony takes place at 6:30 p.m., followed by Game 2 at 7:30 p.m. between Section 3 and Section 4 winners. Everyone comes back on Friday with two more games at 4 and 7 p.m. Saturday's two games are at noon and 3 p.m. In addition to the games, the Red Sox fan experience will be at Benevento from 3-6 p.m. It all leads up to the state championship game Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Massachusetts champion advances to the New England Regional Tournament in Bristol, Conn., to face the champions from Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The regional winner will represent New England in the Little League World Series, Aug. 17-27 in South Williamsport, Pa. The last Massachusetts champion to make it to Williamsport was Peabody Western in 2009.