BOARDMAN — Every time Josiah Infante steps to the plate, West Side Little League seems to gain another jolt of confidence.
The slugging infielder continued his unforgettable Ohio Little League state tournament Monday, blasting his third home run in as many games and driving in three runs as West Side held off Canfield, 6-5, to earn a spot in the state championship game at Boardman’s Field of Dreams.
The team from Hamilton remains unbeaten at 3-0 and moved within one victory of its 23rd Ohio Little League championship.
North Canton plays Cuyahoga Falls North at 4 p.m. Tuesday, and the winner of that plays Canfield at 4 p.m. Wednesday — setting up the championship game at noon Thursday with a berth to the Great Lakes Region on the line. If West Side loses Thursday, the winner-take-all title game follows immediately after.
West Side, which fell to Illinois in last year’s Great Lakes Region championship game, had its biggest offensive punch come immediately Monday.
The Hamilton squad erupted for five runs in the opening inning, stunning a Canfield team playing just 15 minutes from its home fields.
Bryson Williams started the rally when two runs scored on his bunt single. Jack McAdams drove in another run on a groundout. Infante then turned on a pitch and launched a two-run homer to center field, giving West Side a commanding 5-0 lead.
“We had a good first inning, but then we started losing it a little bit,” Williams said. “The last inning, we picked up the energy.”
Canfield responded with two runs in the second inning.
But Infante wasn’t finished.
He added an RBI single in the third inning to extend the lead to 6-2, continuing a tournament in which he has homered in every game.
Canfield, however, made sure West Side had to earn every out.
Canfield began to chip away with timely offense. A solo home run in the bottom of the fourth pulled its deficit to 6-3.
“We knew they were going to have a good crowd,” West Side manager Tim Nichting said. “They beat Boardman. This is their district.”
The pressure intensified in the final inning. Two runs scored on a West Side error, and with the tying run aboard, Canfield lifted a fly ball toward center field. Williams settled underneath it and secured the final out.
“There was a little pressure,” Williams said. “But I caught it.”
Williams also broke out offensively, finishing 2 for 2 after searching for his swing through West Side’s first two tournament games.
“I wasn’t seeing the ball too well,” Williams said. “This game I picked it up a little bit and got two hits.”
Infante went 2 for 3 with three RBIs, while Finn Dykes added two hits for West Side.
Bobby Frazier made his first meaningful start since recovering from a hairline fracture in his thumb, allowing three runs — two earned — over three innings while striking out three. Boone Treadway pitched in relief and recorded the final outs to preserve the victory.
“We’re still learning our kids because we haven’t had a lot of games together,” Nichting said. “But Bob Frazier sure did gave us a good three innings.”
Nichting also praised Treadway for keeping his composure after Canfield made its late charge.
“Big hats off to Boone,” Nichting said. “He’s such a tough kid. He’s been through it and experienced it.”
West Side has now outscored its three state tournament opponents 35-7 and is one victory away from another Ohio Little League state title.
A victory in the championship game Thursday would give West Side its 23rd state title and send the storied Hamilton program to the Great Lakes Region — and one step away from its sixth trip to the Little League World Series after previous appearances in 1991, 1993, 2007, 2010 and 2021.
“We’ve had a lot of energy,” Williams said. “We beat our first two teams by a lot of runs, then beat one of the best teams. We’ve worked hard at practice, and it’s paying off.”
