East Side Little League of West Chester beats Delaware to punch ticket to 2026 Little League Baseball World Series

East Side Little League of West Chester is heading to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the 2026 Little League Baseball World Series. 

East Side Little League punched its ticket to the annual tournament in Williamsport with a 3-1 victory over Naamans Little League of Wilmington, Delaware, on Friday in the Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament final. 

Cole Warner, of East Side Little League, had eight strikeouts in the win over Naamans Little League. He also scored one run. 

"It feels really good, just representing Pennsylvania," Warner told the ESPN broadcast after the game. "The little kids that play for East Side, we set the example, so hopefully they can carry it on."

Ryan Hennessey and Jack Cassidy each had RBIs in the win for West Chester. They scored all three runs in the first inning and never trailed. 

Naamans Little League's lone run came on a double by Taj Amobi, where Charles Puit scored in the top of the second inning.

Before the championship, East Side Little League beat the Wilmington team 8-1 in the first round and a Washington, D.C., team 10-0 in the semifinals. Wilmington worked its way back from the elimination bracket before falling to East Side Little League in the final. 

The 2026 Little League Baseball World Series will be from Aug. 19 to Aug. 30. The double elimination bracket includes 10 international teams and 10 teams from the U.S.

East Side Little League is the fourth straight Pennsylvania team from the Philadelphia region to make the tournament. Teams from Media in Delaware County, Council Rock Newtown in Bucks County and Upper Uwchlan Township in Chester County have made the Little League Baseball World Series over the last few years.