Hamilton West Side Little League is headed back to the Great Lakes Regional after Caiden Trent's two-run walk-off double lifted the Butler County squad past Canfield, 4-3, for the Ohio state championship on Friday, July 24.

Trent's liner skipped beneath the glove of Canfield's right fielder in the bottom of the sixth inning at Boardman's Field of Dreams, scoring Walker Osborne and Finn Dykes to cap a comeback from a 3-2 deficit. It was West Side's 23rd state title, according to The Report Ohio, and their second straight after winning in 2025.

West Side opens Great Lakes Regional play against Michigan at 10 a.m. Eastern on Saturday, August 8, in Whitestown, Indiana. The five-team regional runs through Wednesday, August 12, with the champion earning a berth in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. All regional games are free admission and stream on ESPN+.

» Facebook video: Watch the walk-off home run

Bottom of the sixth

West Side trailed 3-2 entering the bottom of the sixth. Osborne led off with a single, Finn Dykes dropped a bunt for a hit, and Zach Hilton battled through a lengthy at-bat before Trent stepped in.

Dykes stumbled rounding third on Trent's double but recovered in time to slide safely across home plate with the winning run.

"It feels great," Trent told The Report Ohio after the game. "It was very nerve-racking just going up there. I was just hoping all the runs got in. Once I saw it went under his glove, I knew I had to get on second base and be quick."

Full-roster effort

West Side manager Tim Nichting said Trent's game-winning swing was the product of recent practice work on keeping his bat level.

Osborne also pitched two scoreless, hitless innings in relief after starter Xander Kinkade surrendered three runs (one earned) over four innings with three strikeouts. Bobby Frazier stole two bases, and Josiah Infante, who homered three times earlier in the state tournament, walked and scored in the second inning to help West Side tie the game at 2-2.

The championship was a rematch: West Side had already beaten Canfield 6-5 in the winner's bracket earlier in the week, a game in which Infante drove in three runs.

What's next

West Side faces Michigan in Game 1 of the Great Lakes Regional at 10 a.m. Saturday, August 8, on ESPN+. The regional also includes Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. The championship game is set for Wednesday, August 12, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.