Two teams that lost their opening games of regional tournament play advanced to the 2008 Senior League World Series late Tuesday evening.

The Bryan National Little League of Bryan, Texas, and the Tuscarawas County Little League of New Philadelphia, Ohio, bring the number of entries in the field to eight, with just the U.S. East and Canadian champions remaining to be decided.

The U.S. East final is set for Thursday, with the Canadian title game on Friday leading up to the Senior League World Series at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor, which has opening ceremonies Saturday and the first of five days of pool play scheduled for Sunday.

Bryan, Texas, lost its first game of the U.S. Southwest regional to the host team for the event, New Braunfels, Texas. But the Texas East champs then won six consecutive games to earn its SLWS berth, including a doubleheader sweep of previously undefeated Texas West representative Del Mar Little League of Laredo, 1-0 and 15-4, in the championship round.

Bryan becomes the fifth different Texas team to represent the U.S. Southwest in the SLWS since the world championships were moved to Bangor in 2002.

Last year, a team from Tyler, Texas, advanced through pool play to the semifinals before dropping a 4-1 decision to eventual series champion Cartersville, Ga.

A similiar scenario played out in 2002, when a team from Houston reached the semifinals reached the semifinals before falling to eventual champion Willemstad, Curacao, 8-2.

Two other Texas teams – Brenham in 2003 and San Antonio in 2004 – did not advance out of pool play.

New Philadelphia, Ohio, dropped its opener at the U.S. Central tournament in Columbia, Mo., to Madison, Wisc., 10-2, but bounced back with three wins in preliminary-round play before defeating Portage, Ind., 3-1 in the semifinals and then knocking off previously unbeaten Saginaw, Mich., 6-3 in the championship game.

New Philadelphia becomes the first Ohio team to represent the U.S. Central in Bangor. That region does boast one SLWS champion from its previous six appearances at Mansfield Stadium, in 2005 when Urbandale, Iowa, won the world title.

Urbandale also advanced to the semifinals in 2003, but teams from Madison, Wisc., in 2006 and Niles, Mich., last summer failed to advance out of pool play.

Both Byran, Texas, and New Philadelphia, Ohio, are in Pool B along with Latin America champion Willemstad, Curacao, Europe-Middle East-Africa champion Vilnius, Lithuania, and the yet-to-be determined U.S. East qualifier.

New Philadelphia, Ohio, will begin pool play at 8 p.m. Sunday against Curacao, while Bryan, Texas, has a first-day bye and will open pool play at 10 a.m. Monday against Lithuania.

Teams already qualified in Pool A are Boynton Beach, Fla. (U.S. South), Makati City, Philippines (Asia-Pacific), Pearl City, Hawaii (U.S. West) and host Maine District 3 champion Bangor. The Canadian champion also will compete in Pool A, and will open this year’s Senior League World Series against Bangor at noon Sunday.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

990-8045