By STEVE KRAUSE
Teams from Lynn, Peabody and Saugus will be very busy over the next week as Babe Ruth state tournaments in three different age groups begin.
This year, Babe Ruth has structured the tournaments differently. Rather than have teams from north and south of Boston competing at one site, which made traveling through Boston at rush hour necessary for one side of the city or the other, there are North and South tournaments this year. There will be a pool-play format for the 13s, 14s and 15s, with playoffs involving the first- and second-place teams from each region at the new baseball field that BC High and UMass Boston share.
The North 13s tournament is at World Series Park in Saugus while the 14s are at Twi Field in Danvers. The 15s are in Volunteer Field in Chelmsford.
Lynn and Peabody will compete in all three age groups, by virtue of either winning their district tournaments or finishing as runners-up. Saugus will join Lynn and Peabody in the 13-year-old tournament as the host team.
State champions will proceed to the New England Regionals, which, this year for the 15s, will be held at Fraser Field in Lynn.
Games involving Peabody begin tonight for the 15s and 14s, while Saugus plays Arlington at 5:30 in the 13-year-old tournament at World Series Park. The Peabody 15s face Medford tonight at 5 p.m. in Chelmsford while the 14s will play Arlington in Danvers.
