Play Ball! Chase For Little League State Title Begins Thursday

After three days of Little League baseball sectional championships across the state, the final four is set.

Holden, Milton National, Melrose, and Gloucester will play for the Massachusetts State Little League championship beginning Thursday at Benevento Memorial Fields on Central Street in North Reading.

The tournament is for players ages 11-12. The first Little League game was played in 1939 and today it covers more than 80 countries and has more than 2.4 million children participating. Wellesley South won last year's Massachusetts title.

Holden won the Section 1 title, beating the Leominster Americans, 12-2, in the title game. Milton won Section 2, beating Taunton East, 4-1, in the final. Melrose took Section 3, defeating Wellesley North, 3-1. Gloucester hammered Peabody, 10-0, to win Section 4.

The Massachusetts double-elimination round-robin tournament starts Thursday at 3:30 p.m. when Holden will face Milton. At 7:30, Gloucester plays Melrose. In between, the Opening Ceremonies will be held at 6:30 p.m. with former Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield throwing out the first pitch.

On Friday, Milton will face Melrose at 4 p.m. followed at 7 p.m. by Holden vs. Gloucester. And on Saturday in Round 3, Holden will play Melrose at noon and Gloucester will play Milton at 3 p.m. Also on Saturday, the Red Sox are taking Fenway Park on the road with their mobile baseball experience, the Red Sox Showcase. The Green Monster-inspired truck will be at Benevento from 1-4 p.m. and features interactive baseball activities letting kids and families get into the game and experience baseball like the pros.

The top two teams from round-robin play advance to the state title game Sunday at 1 p.m. The winner of that game advances to the New England Regional on Aug. 6, joining state winners from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Those state tournaments are being held this coming weekend as well.

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. No Massachusetts team has ever won the Little League World Series. Admission is free for all games in North Reading.