Media’s second loss in Little League World Series eliminates team

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Before Media manager Tom Bradley and his players made the close to five-hour bus ride from Bristol, Conn. to South Williamsport as the Mid-Atlantic Regional champions, there had never been a team from the Delaware County borough to make the Little League World Series.

That is the reason Bradley wants his players to remember that accomplishment from their time in South Williamsport and not the feeling of disappointment or defeat following the Delco team’s 7-2 loss to Smithville, Rhode Island, on Sunday afternoon at Howard J. Lamade Stadium.

“Told them to keep [their] heads up. It’s not the end of the world,” Bradley said after the loss. “We made it to the Little League World Series.”

He continued, “We were 14-2 … We had a great run. We won a lot of games.”

» READ MORE: Media manager Tom Bradley’s message for the Little League World Series: ‘We’re out there to have fun’

Four players — Austin Crowley, Charles Haenn, Nathan Hellberg, and Nate Saleski — picked up hits for Media. Hellberg was 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored.

Crowley struck out seven in 2⅔ innings while giving up two runs, one unearned, on four hits. Trevor Skowronek came on in the third striking out three in 2⅓ innings.

Royce Agilone, Brayden Castellone, Mason Dionne, Brady McShane, and Connor Queenan each had hits for Rhode Island. Castellone had an RBI single and two runs scored. Dionne had the other RBI.

McShane was Rhode Island’s pitcher and allowed two runs with six strikeouts over 4⅔ innings. Castellone relieved McShane in the fifth and earned the win, getting the final four outs.

» READ MORE: Media’s game in Little League World Series a dream come true for Austin Crowley

McShane, who had an early 2-0 leadafter the top of the first, gave up a run in the third inning when Hellberg doubled down the right-field line for Media’s first hit. He scored on a Charles Haenn’s single up the middle two batters later. It was Haenn’s second hit in two days.

Then in the fifth — as Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and the Phillies made their way into the Media fan section — Hellberg tied the game at 2-2 with a single up the middle, scoring right fielder Christian Nunez.

Rhode Island would score five runs, aided by two hit batters, a passed ball, and a dropped third strike, for the eventual 7-2 win.

Media stayed to watch the Phillies-Nationals game in the MLB Little League Classic Sunday night at Historic Bowman Field.

When Media — just the third team from Delaware County to make the Little League World Series — returns home, Bradley said there will be a celebration of its accomplishment.

“From what I hear, it’s really big and is all they talk about wherever you go,” said Bradley when asked about the support his team has received back home. “I’m told that it’ll be a lot bigger once we get back [when] we will actually live it and see it [when] everybody will be congratulating them.”