Bridgewater Little Leaguers prep for state tournament; New England bid up for grabs

For the Bridgewater American 12-year-old Little Leaguers, the road to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, runs through Deyermond Park in Andover this week.

That's the site of the four-team Little League state tournament, where coach Rich Florence's crew will be trying to take another step toward the ultimate goal of appearing in the famed Little League World Series in Williamsport, set for Aug. 14-25.

Middleboro appeared on that big stage in 2022, losing 7-5 to Mid-Atlantic champ Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, in an elimination game.

Canton came close last summer, losing in the New England tournament final.

Bridgewater American punched its ticket to the state tournament by beating Braintree American, 5-3, in the Section 2 final on Saturday as Logan Brady hit a 3-run home run that was caught by his dad Paul. Before that, Bridgewater had claimed the District 7 title with a 4-3 win over Plymouth.

At the state tournament, Bridgewater American will be joined by Section 1 champ Pittsfield (which won District 1), Section 3 champ Melrose (which won District 12) and Section 4 champ Acton-Boxboro (which won District 13).

The modified double-elimination tournament kicks off on Thursday with Bridgewater American facing Pittsfield at 4:30 p.m. and Melrose playing Acton-Boxboro at 7:30.

The full schedule:

Opening Round (Thursday, July 25):Game 1 - Pittsfield vs. Bridgewater American (4:30 p.m.)Game 2 - Melrose vs. Acton-Boxboro (7:30 p.m.)Elimination Bracket Semifinal (4 teams remain) (Friday, July 26):Game 3 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (elimination) (5 p.m.)Winners Bracket Final (Friday, July 26):Game 4 - Winner Game 1 versus Winner Game 2 (winner advances to state final) (7 p.m.)Elimination Bracket Final (3 teams remain) (Saturday, July 27):Game 5 - Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3 (elimination) (winner advances to final) (11 a.m.)

Championship Game (Sunday, July 28):Game 6 - Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 (11 a.m.)

The Massachusetts state champ advances to the New England Regional in Bristol, Connecticut, Aug. 3-8. The other teams in that field will be the state champs from Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.