Peabody West Little League To Open Regionals Monday Night

PEABODY, MA — The Peabody West Little League All-Stars are headed out of town for the big time this weekend as they make the trip to Bristol, Connecticut for the New England Championships.

Peabody will open the tournament Monday night at 7 p.m. against the winner of Sunday's game between Maine and New Hampshire. The game will be broadcast on the ESPN+ app with a live viewing party scheduled for the recently opened Double Bull Taphouse at the Northshore Mall.

The games Monday through Wednesday will be on the ESPN+ app with games starting Thursday on the ESPN network.

Because of coronavirus restrictions, only a limited amount of passes are available for A. Bartlett Giamatti Stadium for the games, so it is suggested those who are not immediate family or associated with the program watch the games on ESPN or at a viewing party like the one at Double Bull.

The New England Regionals run through Aug. 14 with the winner advancing to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

As the players prepared for the program's first trip to New Englands since 2009, they got a shout-out from Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

Double Bull will have a semi-private area for Peabody West friends and family, while the game will be on televisions in other areas of the restaurant.

Those who attend the games in person are advised that the stadium will be cleared after each game. Fans are strongly advised to wear masks if they are not vaccinated against the coronavirus and practice social distancing of 6 feet or more with anyone not a member of their household or viewing group.

Those watching at Double Bull are advised to arrive early because of restaurant and viewing area capacity limits. Groups of six or more can call for reservations at 508-472-8218.

Peabody qualified for New Englands with a 6-5 victory against Pittsfield in the state championship game on Sunday.

A GoFundMe page was set up to help families pay for costs associated with the Regionals. As of Friday, the page had raised $15,400 of a revised $20,000 goal.

"All money donated will go directly to the players and their families to fund travel expenses including the bus, food, and lodging," the GoFundMe page said.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

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