Hamilton West Side’s Little League World Series run ends, but memories will last a lifetime

Hamilton West Side's run at the Little League World Series came to an end Sunday with a one-run loss to Japan, but for the families who spent weeks in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the final score only tells part of the story.The tournament gave a group of 12-year-olds from Hamilton, Ohio, the chance to play on one of the biggest stages in youth sports. It also gave their families and the Hamilton community something to rally around.Walk through the Little League World Series complex and the scale of the event is impossible to miss.WATCH: Recapping Hamilton West Side's Little League World Series run Hamilton West Sides Little League World Series run ends, but memories will last a lifetimeThere are television cameras, massive crowds, merchandise and fans who traveled from around the world to watch children play baseball.Then, there is the reminder that every player is just 12 years old, and behind every player is a family that helped them get there.Ralph Hays has coached youth baseball for 44 years. He said one of the most important parts of the sport often happens away from the field.A lot of dads don't realize that the son is not playing for the coach.

He's playing for his dad, Hays said.Hays said youth baseball can become a bonding experience between parents and children.That bonding is something Hamilton parent Brion Treadway knows firsthand.His son, Boone Treadway, has grown up around the game.Right before he could walk, my wife taught him how to hit, Treadway said.Baseball has become a central part of the Treadway family's life.It's just a lot of fun, brings our family very close together, he said.Treadway said he saw that same bond throughout the Hamilton West Side team, where parents supported not only their own children but the entire group.Everybody's here supporting their kids, and everybody's kids, he said.That support extended far beyond Williamsport.Back in Hamilton, families, friends and strangers gathered for watch parties and flooded social media with messages of encouragement as the team continued its run.For some fans, the connection to the tournament is generational.Ernest Goodheart attended the World Series on his 78th birthday with his son. The two had visiting the tournament on their bucket list for years after Goodheart coached his son through his Little League years.I coached, we played, we enjoyed the moments together, Goodheart said.… Hamilton West Side's Little League World Series run ended Sunday with a 3-2 loss to Japan in the tournament's third-place game in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.The Great Lakes team had one final chance to take the field at Howard J.

Lamade Stadium after falling to Nevada in Saturday's U.S. championship game.Hamilton's loss to Japan capped a historic run for the West Side Little League team, which made its sixth appearance at the Little League World Series. The team also became the first Ohio team since 2021 to reach the U.S.

championship game.WATCH PREVIOUS: Hamilton West Side Little League embraces Williamsport spotlight ahead of U.S. championship Hamilton West Side Little League embraces Williamsport spotlight ahead of U.S. championshipFor Brion Treadway, the parent of West Side pitcher Boone Treadway, the experience meant more than the scoreboard.I dont know how you can be at this place and have the experiences that we had and not just be a core memory for everyone, Treadway said.Treadway said he was proud of how the team handled the spotlight and the adversity throughout the tournament.Im gonna tell him I love him and Im so proud of him, Treadway said of what he planned to tell Boone after the game.Hamilton's run also brought an outpouring of support from back home, with watch parties and messages of encouragement from the community following the team throughout its time in Williamsport.That support was something the families said they felt even from hundreds of miles away.Claire Frazier, whose son Bob played for Hamilton, said the players had made sacrifices throughout the summer to reach this stage.They have put in so much work, Frazier said.

Since our All-Star season started in June, theyve had one day off this whole time.Justin, another Hamilton parent, said much of that work happens away from the spotlight.What goes unseen is the amount of work they put in throughout the summer, he said. Theyve given up being a kid to practice every day.But the parents said the experience was worth it.You just cant trade an experience like this, and theyre just making these lifelong memories, Frazier said.For Hamilton West Side, those memories now come with a third-place finish at the Little League World Series, and a summer that brought the community together around a group of 12-year-olds on the world's biggest Little League stage.