After sailing through the District 1 Tournament unbeaten, the Peabody 15-year-old Babe Ruth all-stars begin play in the state tournament today.
Lawrence is the first opponent for Peabody in this double-elimination format, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Fraser Field in Lynn.
"The kids are very excited about playing at Fraser Field, and fortunate to have a short ride to get there," said Peabody manager Al Losanno, who is helped by base coaches Kevin Johnson and Steve McCarthy. "Peabody has had a very good run the past few years. As 13-year-olds this group went to the states, and last year at the 14-year-old level Peabody went to the championship game before losing.
"Win or lose, playing at Fraser Field will be a terrific experience for the boys. The trick is to win that first game and try to stay out of the loser's bracket as long as possible. If you don't you have to play games every day, and that takes a big toll on the pitchers."
Other teams in the tournament include Arlington and Braintree, who will face off tonight at 7:45 p.m.; Franklin and Taunton, who square off tomorrow morning at 10; and Plymouth and host Lynn, who play the fourth and final first round game tomorrow at 12:30.
Peabody beat Saugus, 13-7, in the district finals to earn a berth in the eight-team state tournament at Fraser Field. They rely on Charlie Helas, Matt Turmenne, Ryan McCarthy and Peter Nelson on the mound.
"Just about everybody on the team has pitched for his own Babe Ruth team, so I'm not too worried about our pitching," said Losanno. "I added Nick Allen to give us more depth on the mound. He is a good pitcher and can hit, too."
Key hitters for Peabody include Alex Minter, who leads the team in batting average; as well as Dylan Johnson, Brian Church, Joe Losanno and Helas.
Defensively, left fielder Pat Barrett executed a successful sacrifice squeeze bunt to score the final run in the championship game against Saugus and is solid in the outfield.
Wesley Sanders catches when Helas is on the mound while Ricky Tardiff is a steady second baseman. Ramses Vitinni plays either right field or center, and Steve Hatchouel has outstanding speed on the bases.
Win or lose, Peabody will play again Sunday against either Arlington or Braintree at a time to be determined.
"Offensively we're a good hitting team," said Losanno. "We are also sound defensively, and should be competitive in every game. This is a great group of kids to work with."
