AUGUSTA – For the past half-dozen years, the state American Legion tournament has been a showcase for the dominance of Portland baseball.

Nova Seafood and Andrews Post have won the last six state Legion championships, with Andrews taking home the title in 1998 and 2000 and Nova procuring it in 1999 and 2001-2003. Brewer was the last team from outside of Maine’s largest city to win it all, back in 1997.

The championship will probably go through one of those two Portland teams again this year when the 2004 state Legion tournament begins today at McGuire and Morton fields in Augusta.

The winner of the double-elimination tournament moves on to the regionals on August 12-16 in Middletown, CT.

Nova (23-2) is back with much the same nucleus that went undefeated through last year’s state tournament, most importantly, ace Ryan Reid. Nova was only the runner-up in Zone 4, however, because Andrews (20-4), led by pitcher John Moran, beat Nova in the zone playoffs.

Andrews faces Zone 1 runner-up Penquis in the first round today, while Nova meets Zone 1 champion Bangor.

Today’s other first-round games involve Zones 2 and 3, which collectively last enjoyed a state championship in 1990 when New Auburn won the crown. Zone 3 champion Bessey Motors (18-6) opens the tournament at 10 a.m. at Morton Field against Zone 2 runner-up Monmouth (19-4).

Bessey has some momentum heading into the tournament, coming off two zone playoff victories in which their deep pitching staff, led by Corey Tielinen and Andrew Stacy, gave up just two runs.

“We wanted to treat (the zone championship) like a game at August,” said Bessey coach Shane Slicer. “We didn’t want to go in with a loss.”

Monmouth counters with a strong pitching staff of its own, led by Ricky Leavitt and Brian Gardner.

Zone 3 regular season champion and playoff runner-up Locke Mills (18-5) squares off against Zone 2 winner Gardiner (17-4) at 4 p.m. at McGuire. Locke Mills boasts a powerful lineup led by catcher Tony Liberti and a solid pitching staff of Cory Wing, Kyle Kipikas and Richie Ross. Kris Ramsay, capable of dominating on the mound and at the bat, leads Gardiner.

“We’ve got our pitching set up,” said Locke Mills coach Chris Olson. “Wing threw 60 pitches (against Bessey in Sunday’s zone championship) and Ross threw 50 pitches and Kyle got a chance to throw. He’s probably going to be in the closer role for us.”

The tournament continues with games scheduled every day through Sunday.