The local youth baseball tournament season will begin this weekend with the 18th annual 1st Realty tournament at the Mark Evenson complex.
It again will have both junior and senior divisions including only the teams from the Bemidji Youth League.
At one time, out of town teams were included in the meet. But when most of those communities did not begin their baseball programs this early, the meet was reduced to a local preview meet.
1st National Bank will defend its senior division crown, seeking its fourth title in the meet.
Meritcare Clinic will be the junior division defending champ and will be after its third title.
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The Junior Division meet will be an eight-team, single-elimination affair.
Opening round games Saturday noon pit Cold Stone Creamery against Bemidji Marine, KFC against Clinic and PIAS against Clarity Glass. 1st Federal goes against Pinnacle Publishing at 10 a.m.
Second round games are set for 4 p.m. Saturday with the first, third, fifth and seventh place games Sunday noon.
The seven-team Senior Division will be split into two pools.
In the Red Division, the KC's and Frostbite Falls meet at 10, Frostbite plays Pepsi at noon and Pepsi faces the KC's at 2.
In the Blue Division, Rotary squares off with 1st National and Glass Doctor meets the Eagles at 10 with the winners and losers meeting at 2.
On Sunday, the top two finishers from each division play their semifinal games at 10 and their first and third place games at 2 with the champions of each paired against the runner-up finisher from the other in the opening round.
In the consolation bracket the Blue 4 meets the Red 3 at 10, the Blue 3 faces the Blue 4 at noon and the Red 3 goes against the Blue 3 at 2 in a round robin with runs allowed the determining factor in the case of ties.
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The Senior Division began league play this week. The Junior Division has its first games Monday.
Upcoming tournaments find the 10-11 year old traveling teams at home June 15-17 while the 12 year old team travels to Waite Park.
One June 22-24 the 10-11's play at Waite Park and the 12 are at Baxter.
The 12 year olds host a tournament July 6-8 and the state meet July 18-22.
The state 10-year-old meet will be at Chaska July 20-22 and the 11-year-old state at Baxter the same dates.
The regional meets are at Yankton, S.D., for the 12's July 24-29, at Grand Forks for the 11's July 25-30 and at Scotts Bluff, Neb. July 26-Aug. 1.
FIRST REALTY
TOURNAMENT
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Past Champions
Senior Division
1991 Moose
1992 KC's
1993 Kelliher
1994 Tundra
1995 Clinic
1996 Clinic
1997 Pepsi
1998 Harmon Glass
1999 1st National Bank
2000 Giovanni's
2001 Pepsi
2002 Pepsi
2003 Frostbite Falls
2004 1st National Bank
2005 Rained out
2006 1st National Bank
Junior Division
1991 Spauldings
1992 Classic Burgers
1993 Stats
1994 Higgins
1995 Balsigers
1996 Eagles
1997 Eagles
1998 Roseau
1999 Eagles
2000 Clinic
2001 Eagles
2002 Sunrise Rotary
2003 Wells Fargo
2004 Sylvan Learning Center
2005 Spaulding Motors
2006 Clinic
