THE RIGHT STUFF: Jackson Bailey fires a pitch for the Princeton Little League (PLL) 9-10-year-old all star team last week in the District 12 tournament. Bailey’s pitching and hitting has helped PLL start 4-0 in the tournament. Princeton was slated to face Nottingham on July 14 in the finals, needing one more win to clinch the crown in the double-elimination competition. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

As the Princeton Little League (PLL) 9-10-year-old all star team entered the sixth inning of its District 12 tournament winner’s bracket game against Millstone-Roosevelt last Wednesday night, the mist rising in the outfield lent a Field of Dreams aura to the contest.

With PLL trailing 3-1 and down to its final out with one runner aboard, it appeared that the dream-like start to the tourney, which saw it roll to wins over Bordentown and Cranbury-Plainsboro in its first two games of the competition, was about to vanish into the night air at the Tantum Park in Robbinsville.

But Jack Durbin kept the inning alive as the Millstone second basemen misplayed his pop fly. Given life, PLL produced a thrilling rally as Jude Blaser hit a run-scoring single to make it 3-2, Jensen Bergen got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to knot the game at 3-3 and then Daniel Harlan and Peter Hare delivered two-run singles to give Princeton a 7-3 lead.

With reliever Theo Steiger working out of a jam in the bottom of the sixth that saw Millstone get a single and a walk but no runs, PLL prevailed by that 7-3 margin.

While PLL manager Ken Harlan admitted that things did look bleak in the sixth, he never lost faith in his players.

“These kids have been able to hit all year, they never give up,” said Harlan, reflecting on the contest which ended around 11 p.m.

“They just believe in themselves, they believe in each other. It was just amazing, they fought right to the end. We just kept putting the pressure on, we ran the bases really well. We knew it would eventually fall for us. We were hitting it to the wrong spots and finally it came through.”

The PLL defense came through all evening as the team made several sharp plays in the field to hold Millstone-Roosevelt at bay.

“We fielded really well at the end to make sure that we didn’t give up more than three runs,” said Harlan.

With good pitching from starter Jackson Bailey, who produced three scoreless innings before giving up three runs in the fourth, and Steiger coming in with two outs in the inning and closing the deal, Princeton was able to stay in the contest before its sixth inning outburst.

“Theo came in; he has been doing really well in practice,” said Harlan. “It was a high pressure situation, I was happy he had some extra runs on the board with some cushion. He battled. I am proud of the way he did. Between the two pitchers and those hits in the last inning, it was incredible.”

On Saturday afternoon, PLL continued its incredible run, topping Nottingham 12-5 to advance to the final round of the double-elimination tournament. Bailey earned the win on the mound in the contest, chipping in two hits to aid his cause. Spencer Wert led the PLL offense with three hits with Daniel Harlan adding two.

Princeton, now 4-0 in district play, was slated to face Nottingham on July 14 in the finals, needing one more win to clinch the crown.

In reflecting on his team’s success, Harlan said his squad brings a lot to the table.

“We have strong pitching, we have very good fielding and our hitting has always been a big strength,” said Harlan.

“It is a good combination. Against Bordentown (a 16-10 win in its District opener on July 3), we put up 15 runs over two innings. We can put up runs very quickly.”

In Harlan’s view, the team’s unity as much as its balance helped pave the way for the dramatic comeback last Wednesday.

“They are the nicest bunch of kids, they are the greatest teammates to each other,” said Harlan.

“They are always picking each other up. They always stay in and cheer, they are always encouraging each other.”