WHITEFISH BAY, Wis. — Wisconsin's Whitefish Bay squad came within three outs of punching their ticket to the Little League World Series before Iowa rallied to win in extra innings at the Midwest Regional.
Wisconsin entered the championship game at a disadvantage, having lost earlier in the tournament and playing two more games than Iowa heading into the title matchup. Despite Iowa loading the bases for three straight innings, Whitefish Bay found themselves only down 4-2 heading into the sixth inning.
Sam Irwin delivered a clutch hit down the left field line to score a run, then found his way home on a wild pitch to tie the game and force extra innings.
Wisconsin took a 2-run lead in the seventh, but Iowa loaded the bases once more. A 2-RBI single and a wild pitch later, Iowa punched their ticket to Williamsport with a 7-6 victory.
Kyle Fox, Whitefish Bay's head coach, reflected on what the run meant for his players.
Watch: Whitefish Bay falls in extra innings, Iowa advances to Little League World Series
"I don't think it's really sunk in because they're only 12 and they don't really – until they get maybe like my age as I told them – you don't really realize how big of a moment and how far they came and how they really got to do something that most kids just kind of sit at home and wish they could do and so they made the most of it," Fox said.
Catcher Parker Sloden echoed that sentiment, crediting the team's resilience throughout the game.
"It was a mix of being proud and sad, of course, but like I said it was a great experience… and like I would just say never give up. We were down most of that game, we came back and got the lead, but we didn't end up winning, but it was still a great game," Sloden said.
IOWA WALKS IT OFF TO WILLIAMSPORT‼️
— ESPN (@espn) August 14, 2026
Davenport Northwest Little League heads to the LLWS for the first time in 21 years 👏 pic.twitter.com/luIemrLHSo
Fans in attendance were equally emotional. 9-year-old Gordon Owen said he was proud of how far the team came.
"I'm just excited about how they made it this far and how good they did because I just thought at the start they were going to get crushed," Owen said.
11-year-old Camden Klumpyan already had his eyes on next year.
"Keep on grinding in the off-season; hopefully we'll go to Williamsport next year. But amazing season this year, going to the championship – Midwest Championship – and competing in it. I thought we weren't going to get that far," Klumpyan said.
The team and coaching staff also wanted to thank their supporters — not just fans in Whitefish Bay who followed the journey all summer, but also the statewide fans they gained throughout the week in Indiana.
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