ITEM FILE PHOTO
Lynn Babe Ruth’s Brett Bucklin lashes the ball down the right field line during a tournament game earlier this season.
By STEVE KRAUSE
LYNN — One week from today, at 12 noon EDT, Lynn Babe Ruth will begin its quest to bring home another World Series championship to the city.
The Lynn team of 15-year-olds, who earned the right to compete in the World Series, which will be held in Williston, N.D., will kick off the eight-day tournament at that time, against the winners of Atlantic Shore, N.J., winners of the Mid-Atlantic Regional.
Next week’s game will be streamed live on the internet, but for those who cannot make it, and wish to watch it on a march larger screen, Gannon Golf Course will air it on its 42-inch TV screen, in its sun room.
Gannon has lent its support to the Babe Ruth effort in other ways as well, including holding a “Night at the Race” Thursday with the proceeds put toward making a dent in the $35,000 cost of sending the team to North Dakota. Babe Ruth defrays the cost of transportation for the players and coaches. But where it used to seek housing for the players, this year’s participants will have to stay at local hotels.
“We just want to show our support for the team,” said Jason Newhall, an assistant at the 19th Hole at Gannon. “We had the fundraiser Thursday and it did very well.”
Newhall said that Gannon intends to stream all of Lynn’s games on its big-screen.
“I don’t know if anyone else is going to do it, but we have internet here, and we thought it would be nice to show our support.”
There are 10 teams in the tournament, which begins next Saturday and runs through Aug. 20. They will be grouped in two divisions, American and National, with Lynn in the National Division along with Atlantic Shore, Tallahassee, Fla. (Southeast), Columbia Basin, Wash. (Pacific Northwest) and West Fargo, N.D. (the North Dakota state champion).
The other division includes Bismarck, N.D. (Midwest Plains), Eau Claire, Wisc., (Ohio Valley), South Brazoria City, Texas (Southwest), Torrance, Calif., (Pacific Northwest) and the host team of Williston.
The format is pool play, with each team playing the other four in its respective group. After a day off on Sunday, Aug. 14, Lynn will play Monday against West Fargo (6:30 EDT), Tuesday vs. Tallahassee (noon) and Wednesday against Columbia Basin (2:30).
The top three teams in each division advance, with the first-place finishers getting byes. Quarterfinals are on Thursday, Aug. 18, with the second-place team in the Nationals playing the third-place team in the Americans at 6 p.m., with the other crossover game at 8:30.
Semifinals are Friday with the first-place teams in both divisions playing quarterfinal winners at 6 and 8:30. The championship game is Saturday, Aug. 20, at 2 p.m.
Lynn, which is managed by Leon Elwell with Sean Leydon and Ryan Boisselle as coaches, was guaranteed a spot in the New England regionals by virtue of hosting the tournament at Fraser Field. However, the players, who had come up short in state tournaments as 13s and 14s, chose to go through the entire process this season. They won the District 1 tournament in Saugus, and then defeated Medford at BC High’s new field to win the states. And, Lynn defeated North Providence/Smithfield, R.I., in the New England Regionals at Fraser Field on July 26.