Hamilton West Side plays Iowa in Little League World Series | Live

Hamilton West Side is preparing for its fourth consecutive game in just four days, this time facing Iowa in the Little League World Series' elimination-bracket finals. The first pitch was moved up to 9 a.m. on Thursday, Aug 27 due to impending inclement weather, leaving the Ohio team with barely 12 hours to recuperate after their 9:30 p.m. win over Alabama the previous day.

West Side's game will be broadcast live on ESPN at 9 a.m., with a re-air at 7 p.m. The team has won four straight elimination games and looked dominant in each match, defeating Massachusetts 10-0 in four innings, Texas 6-1, New Jersey 5-2, and most recently Alabama 11-2. Leo Feltner is expected to start for West Side, having only thrown 1.1 innings thus far but showing a no-hitter performance against Massachusetts.

For Ohio, successful small-ball hitting will be crucial once again, as they have only managed two extra-base hits in the tournament but are currently the highest-scoring team in the field. Iowa's star pitchers, Cooper Thissen and Anthony Johnson Jr., are both unavailable for today's game, with Thissen leading the World Series with 25 strikeouts in his nine no-hitter innings and Johnson Jr. second with 17 strikeouts in 6.1 shutout innings.

Despite Iowa's less proven arms taking the mound, the team's offense remains a threat, with Thissen and Johnson hitting home runs in the tournament. Caleb Erwin, batting 5-7 with two RBIs, will be crucial for Iowa. Keep an eye out for live updates as Ohio battles Iowa for a spot in the Little League World Series U.S. finals.