Shades of '22 Phillies in Pennsylvania's LLWS team

This story was excerpted from Todd Zolecki’s Phillies Beat newsletter. This edition of the newsletter was written by Paul Casella. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PHILADELPHIA -- When the kids from nearby Media, Pa., clinched a spot in the Little League World Series with a walk-off homer in extra innings in a winner-take-all championship game last week, it caught the attention of Phillies manager Rob Thomson.

"I love it," Thomson said. "Shows their grit and toughness."

Turns out, that's a pretty accurate description of that Media team.

"They're just a bunch of tough-nosed kids," Media Little League manager Tom Bradley told MLB.com this week. "They really want to get out there and work hard. They don't want to come off the field."

So far, they haven’t had to.

When the season started, Media set its sights on winning the district championship. The team had come close in the past two seasons, only to lose in the title game.

This year, Media not only won its district, but then, as Bradley put it: "It just started snowballing."

Media went on to win its sectional tournament. Then, the Pennsylvania state tournament.

The next stop was Bristol, Conn., where Media competed against three other teams -- representatives from Maryland, Delaware and D.C. -- in the regional, with the winner earning a spot in the Little League World Series.

Media defeated Maryland, 6-2, in its first game, then beat D.C., 16-3, to clinch a spot in the winner-take-all championship game. D.C. battled its way back through the elimination bracket to set up a rematch -- but this time, a spot in Williamsport was on the line.

Not only was the game scoreless through six innings (regulation for Little League Baseball), but the Media team did not have a hit -- until Trevor Skowronek clubbed a walk-off two-run homer in the seventh. Teammate and starting pitcher Austin Crowley helped set the stage for Skowronek's heroics by striking out 13 batters over five innings of one-hit ball.

"What a great story," Thomson said. "Walk-off home run, just unbelievable. Congratulations to them."

With the district title long in the rearview mirror, Media is now looking to become the first Pennsylvania team to win the LLWS since Levittown in 1960.

"These kids are tough," Bradley said. "They don't want to lose. They just battle and battle and battle."

That's the same mantra the reigning National League champion Phillies used during their unforgettable run last fall.

Now, with the Phillies set to play the Nationals in the Little League Classic on Sunday in Williamsport, the kids from Media could get a chance to meet some of their favorite players.

"It's awesome. All these kids love the Phillies," Bradley said. "There's a couple kids who have parents from New York, so they're Yankees fans -- but we'll cut them a break if they cheer for our Phillies when they aren't playing the Yankees."

Media begins its run at the Little League World Series at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday against Texas East.