BAY CITY, MI – The door is open for a great underdog story.
When the Bay County Little League Championship convenes for its 58th annual event Friday, it debuts a new format that gives all eight teams in the field a fighting chance.
Bay County’s four youth baseball leagues – Bay City Northwest, Bay City Southwest, Bay County Eastside and Essexville-Hampton – clash for bragging rights in the tradition-rich tournament set for June 11-15 at Southwest’s Kolb Field.
With the consolidation of Bay City Northeast and Bay City South End into the new Eastside Little League, the Bay County field shrinks from five leagues to four. That led to the creation of a new format for the 2021 championship.
Traditionally, each league’s champion would meet in one division while each league’s runner-up would meet in a separate division. This year, all eight teams are thrown together in one division for a winner-take-all showdown.
That means a team that didn’t win its league championship could possibly win the Bay County Championship. An underdog story is in the making.
The new format separates the eight teams into two four-team pools for round-robin play. Each pool features two league champions and two league runners-up. After each team plays three games, the top team from each pool advances to the title game.
Pool games are set for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, with the one-game championship clash set for 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The Bay County Championship was not played last season due to the coronavirus shutdown, the first time since its 1963 debut that the tourney trophy was not awarded.
In the history of the tournament, Southwest has claimed 14 championships while Northwest and Essexville-Hampton have each won 13, South End 11 and Northeast six.
2021 BAY COUNTY
LITTLE LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
At Bay City Southwest
Saturday, June 12
Supreme Floor Covering (SWLL) 14, Anderson Pharmacy (NWLL) 3
Gorte & Day (EHLL) 9, Lions Club (BCELL) 3
Sheet Metal Workers (SWLL) 20, FOP (BCELL) 0
Supreme Carpet (NWLL) 10, Bay Landscaping (EHLL) 0
Sunday, June 13
Sheet Metal Workers (SWLL) 17, Bay Landscaping (EHLL) 2
Supreme Carpet (NWLL) 13, FOP (BCELL) 3
Supreme Floor Covering (SWLL) 6, Gorte & Day (EHLL) 4
Anderson Pharmacy (NWLL) 6, Lions Club (BCELL) 2
Monday, June 14
Anderson Pharmacy (NWLL) 5, Gorte & Day (EHLL) 4
Supreme Floor Covering (SWLL) 6, Lions Club (BCELL) 0
Tuesday, June 15
Bay Landscaping (EHLL) 13, FOP (BCELL) 9
Sheet Metal Workers (SWLL) 17, Supreme Carpet (NWLL) 0
Wednesday, June 16
6 p.m. – Sheet Metal Workers (SWLL) vs. Supreme Floor Covering (SWLL)
POOL A
Sheet Metal Workers (SWLL 1) 3-0
Supreme Carpet (NWLL 2) 2-1
Bay Landscaping (EHLL 2) 1-2
FOP (BCELL 1) 0-3
POOL B
Supreme Floor Covering (SWLL 2) 3-0
Anderson Pharmacy (NWLL 1) 2-1
Gorte & Day (EHLL 1) 1-2
Lions Club (BCELL 2) 0-3
Bay County Little League
All-Time Champions
DIVISION I
2019 Gephart Funeral Home (SWLL)
2018 Gephart Funeral Home (NWLL)
2017 Peak Performance (NWLL)
2016 Buzz ‘n’ Blades (EHLL)
2015 Buzz ‘n’ Blades (EHLL)
2014 Buzz ‘n’ Blades (EHLL)
2013 Peak Performance (NWLL)
2012 Peak Performance (NWLL)
2011 Peak Performance (NWLL)
2010 USWA (SWLL)
2009 Auto Tec (SWLL)
2008 Auto Tec (SWLL)
2007 Mr. Hot Dog (SWLL)
2006 Anderson Pharmacy (NWLL)
2005 USWA (SWLL)
2004 Beson’s Market (NWLL)
2003 Tuffy Auto Service (SWLL)
2002 A&W (SELL)
2001 USWA (SWLL)
2000 Bay Landscaping (EHLL)
1999 Bay Landscaping (EHLL)
1998 Tuffy Muffler (SWLL)
1997 Essroc (EHLL)
1996 Tuffy Muffler (SWLL)
1995 Bosco Food Service (SWLL)
1994 IGA (SELL)
1993 Lions Club (SELL)
1992 Werner’s Pharmacy (SWLL)
1991 American Legion (EHLL)
1990 Lupo’s Hair Removal (NELL)
1989 American Legion (EHLL)
1988 Traxler Disposal (NWLL)
1987 Hollister Realtors (NELL)
1986 American Legion (EHLL)
1985 Hirschfield (NWLL)
1984 R&R Ready Mix (EHLL)
1983 Hirschfield (NWLL)
1982 Bay Landscaping (EHLL)
1981 Bay Landscaping (EHLL)
1980 Mr. Hot Dog (SELL)
1979 Skizak’s (SWLL)
1978 Legal Beagle (NELL)
1977 Elks 88 (NELL)
1976 Bay Landscaping (EHLL)
1975 Finkbeiner’s Fish (NWLL)
1974 Neitzke TV (NELL)
1973 Thomas Heating (NWLL)
1972 Stover’s Outfitters (NWLL)
1971 Lions Club (SELL)
1970 Moulthrop-Clift Insurance (SELL)
1969 Moulthrop-Clift Insurance (SELL)
1968 Lions Club (SELL)
1967 Peerless Foundry (SWLL)
1966 Lions Club (SELL)
1965 Delta Ford (SELL)
1964 Delta Ford (SELL)
1963 DeFoe Shipbuilders (NELL)