FINAL SWING: Princeton High softball player Molly Brown takes a swing in recent action. Last Monday, senior shortstop Brown had a double, an RBI, and scored a run as PHS fell 21-7 to Nottingham. The Tigers, now 2-10, will be starting play in the Mercer County Tournament where they are seeded 12th and will play at fifth-seeded Robbinsville on May 4 in a first round contest. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

As a four-year starter for the Princeton High softball team, Molly Brown had a lot on her mind as the program celebrated Senior Day last Monday when it hosted Nottingham.

“I have been playing with these girls all four years,” said star shortstop Brown. “It is sad, but I love these girls and I know we are all going off to do good things.”

PHS has been doing some good things coming into the Nottingham game, having topped Trenton 19-13 last Thursday and then edging Princeton Day School 10-7 last Friday after starting the season 0-9.

“We were feeling confident,” said Brown. “You never really know, we always play our hardest.”

With PHS trailing Nottingham 7-0 heading into the bottom of the third, Brown helped spark a three-run rally with an RBI double and then came home for another run.

“Hitting is contagious,” said Brown. “The first person gets a hit and then everyone is going to get a hit to keep that rally going.”

Although Nottingham responded by scoring 14 runs over the next two innings, the Tigers kept battling, tacking on four more runs as they fell 21-7.

“We always come to fight,” said Brown, reflecting on the late rallies. “No one expects anything out of us most of the time. We always come and try our hardest. We know that we are the underdogs.”

Employing that underdog mentality, PHS has never stopped trying this spring.

“We didn’t know what the season was going to bring, we didn’t know if we were going to have a pitcher this season,” said Brown. “Everyone has really stepped up. Our outfield has been huge. Our pitching with Bella [Kwok]has stepped up and Clare [Johnson] behind the plate has been great. Getting outs where we can has been huge. Our bats have really been waking up.”

Brown stepped up for the program from day one as a freshman.

“I have always been loud, I have tried to be a leader,” said Brown. “Especially on a team like this where we are not winning every single game, it is always important to have a positive attitude. That is what I go into every game with.”

Although Brown would have liked to see PHS get more wins over the last four years, she has enjoyed a positive experience with the program.

“My coaches have always been so supportive,” said Brown, who is headed to the University of Tennessee where she is hoping to be involved with the school’s athletic programs as an intern or in some other capacity. “Everyone has a positive attitude and is always building everyone up. It is a community I will never forget.”

With the Tigers, now 2-10, starting action in the Mercer County Tournament where they are seeded 12th and are playing at fifth-seeded Robbinsville on May 4 in a first round contest, Brown is looking forward to that matchup.

“We have seen them before, they have seen us,” said Brown. “We know what we are up against. I feel like after this, we have to step it up.”