Either Bangor or Brewer has won the American Legion Zone 1 baseball tournament each of the last six years.

And guess what? They’re the favorites again in this year’s six-team event that begins Friday at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor.

Brewer earned the No. 1 overall seed with a 20-2 record good enough to win the South Division by nine games over second-place Trenton. Bangor went 17-4 to win the North by 31/2 games over Orono.

The double-elimination tournament kicks off with a tripleheader beginning at noon Friday when No. 1 Brewer faces No. 6 Hampden (10-12). No. 2 Bangor meets No. 5 Trenton (11-11) at 4 p.m., followed by No. 3 Orono (14-8) against No. 4 Presque Isle (12-9) at 8 p.m.

The tournament continues at Mansfield Stadium on Saturday before shifting to the Winkin Complex at Husson College on Sunday due to a scheduling conflict.

The tournament returns to Mansfield Stadium for the championship round Monday.

The top two survivors from the zone tournament will advance to the American Legion state championships that begin July 30, also at Mansfield Stadium.

Brewer, which last won the zone tournament in 2003, combines a pitching staff led by Zone 1 pitcher of the year Pat Moran with an offense featuring by hard-hitting third baseman Kevin McAvoy and considerable team chemistry, according to Falcons coach David Morris.

“We have kids who really love to play the game,” he said. “We’re pretty demanding with them and they’ve really responded to it.

“The other thing that’s really important is that they like each other. When you bring 18 players together from different communities, they all have their own egos, but when they get along and like each other, that’s something outside the game that’s very important to having a good team.”

Bangor is the defending zone champion and has won the Zone 1 tournament four of the last five years.

Coach John Winkin’s Comrades are loaded on the mound, with a starting rotation led by All-Zone 1 first-teamers Josh Young and Anthony DeRosa. Pitcher-third baseman Brian Hackett anchors the Bangor offense and defense.

But while one of the top two seeds has won the zone tournament each of the last four years, the second berth to the state championships has been a mecca for upstarts.

Just once since 1998 have the top two seeds from Zone 1 advanced to the state tournament – in 2001, when No. 1 Orono defeated second-seeded Bangor to win the zone tournament.

The Penquis Navigators defied the seedings both last year – when they advanced from the No. 4 seed to the state tourney – and in 2002, when they rose from the fifth seed to the zone championship game.

No. 6 Calais reached the states in 2003, while No. 4 Bangor in 2000 and No. 3 Brewer in 1999 also defied the seedings.

“When you’ve got to win three games, sometimes you can get in a hot or cold situation, and then it comes down to pitching,” Morris said. “You get a team who gets hot against a team that gets an early loss, and it can change the tournament.

“Having a six-team tournament opens up the door for everyone.”