The Troy Post 70 American Legion baseball team will spend the weekend in Dawson, Ga., in the misleadingly named Independence Day Classic.

Although Independence Day is still a week away, Troy will begin play in the tournament today at 8 p.m. against the Post 30 junior team. The tournament is almost a round-robin affair, and Troy will play four games. Seven teams are in the junior division, the one in which Troy will play.

Post 30 actually sponsors three baseball teams in the tournament. The Albany post sponsors one senior team and two junior teams. Troy will face both the Post 30 Junior and the Post 30 B team.

The tournament involves 11 teams overall and has strict rules in place to keep the games going as scheduled.

The games will be held to a 2-hour, 15-minute time limit (or seven innings), and that rule apparently applies to ties as well. Rule 6 states that teams receive one point for a tie, thus indicating that games will be allowed to end in ties.

Standings will be decided by a points total, and the teams will earn two points for a win.

After Troy opens its tournament play tonight, the team will get a lunch-time start Saturday. Troy will face Americus at 11:30 a.m.

Troy will have some time off before playing again. The game with Post 30 B does not begin until 6:30 p.m.

Troy's final game of the pool-play tournament will be Sunday at 11:30 a.m. against Post 512.

Second baseman Brett Pierce will have to leave as soon as the games end because he has to play for Team Alabama in a pair of games against Team Canada Monday and Tuesday in Atlanta.