HAMPDEN — Opening-day games at the state Little League baseball tournament were postponed Friday after a successful appeal by one of the participants to East Region headquarters in Bristol, Conn., to move the start of the event back a day.
The District 6 (Cumberland County) tournament wasn’t completed until Thursday night, when Cumberland-North Yarmouth won that title with an 8-6 victory over Cape Elizabeth in a game that was postponed from Wednesday due to inclement weather.
Later that evening, that team then won an appeal to Little League officials to have the state tournament delayed.
State tournament organizer Dewey Martin of Hampden said he was notified of the change at 12:20 a.m. Friday.
One of the teams, District 4 (York County) champion South-Berwick-Rollinsford-Eliot, arrived Friday and was practicing at the Hampden-Newburgh Little League complex during the late afternoon.
Two games were postponed, a matchup between South Berwick and District 5 (central Maine) champion Dirigo of Windsor scheduled for 2 p.m. and a 4:30 p.m. contest between District 2 (Downeast) champion Ellsworth and Cumberland-North Yarmouth.
Those games now will be played at the same times Saturday, after opening ceremonies scheduled for 9:30 a.m., a home run contest at 10:30 a.m. and a baserunning contest at noon.
Saturday’s originally scheduled games, including the tournament debut of defending state champion Bangor East, now will be played Sunday. Bangor East, the District 3 champion, will face the South Berwick-Dirigo winner at 12:30 p.m., followed at 3 p.m. by District 2 (Midcoast) champion Camden-Rockport against the winner of the Ellsworth vs. Cumberland-North Yarmouth game.
The state tournament will continue through next Friday, with the winner advancing to the East Region tournament that begins Aug. 6 at Bristol, Conn.