MAKING STRIDES: Princeton Little League (PLL) 9-10-year-old all-star Jensen Bergman races down the base path during the District 12 tournament. Leadoff hitter and center fielder Bergman helped PLL advance to the championship round of the tournament where it fell to Nottingham. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Even though the Princeton Little League (PLL) 9-10-year-old all-star team fell 17-4 to Nottingham in the first game of the championship round of the District 12 tournament, Ken Harlan didn’t see any of his players hanging their heads.

“They are very loose,” said PLL manager Harlan. “Even after the loss to Nottingham, they were goofy. They just like to have fun.”

PLL was looking to have fun as it went into a rematch with Nottingham in a winner-take-all finale last Thursday at Tantum Park in Robbinsville. “I thought we were feeling good, we were focused,” said Harlan.

Getting off to a good start, PLL scored two runs in the top of the first inning and added five in the top of the second to build a 7-0 lead. “I felt good, I was happy with the way we were pitching,” recalled Harlan.

Things took an unhappy turn for Princeton, however, as Nottingham scored five runs in the bottom of the second and then exploded for eight in the bottom of the fourth as it pulled away to a 15-9 victory and the district title.

“We just had a few plays that got away from us,” lamented Harlan. “It was the 10-year-old game. We made some mistakes in the field. We knew it was going to be a high scoring game. Unfortunately we didn’t have the higher number. They had some good hitters.”

To the very end, Harlan believed that his hitters were going to come through. “They always played to the last inning and the last out,” said Harlan, who got three hits and two runs apiece from Jensen Bergman and Daniel Harlan in the loss with Spencer Wert going 2-for-4 with 4 RBIs.

“We got 9-1-2 on base in top of last inning and I thought we were going to have a rally but then 3-4-5 hit some pop-ups.”

While PLL didn’t end up as the top team in the district, Harlan was thrilled with what his players accomplished in their run to the finals.

“I am so proud of the team, PLL has not made it to the 10-year-old finals very many times,” said Harlan.

“They came together as a group. Everyone contributed, all of the kids had some part in us getting to the final. We were a very balanced team. The reason we got to the final is that every kid thought they were important. We had kids who pitched, others who hit, and some who made fielding plays.”

True to form, the PLL squad was ready to keep playing, even in the wake of the defeat.

“We played so long, it is tough to do another tournament,” said Harlan.

“When I told the kids that we were not going to be in another tournament, they were disappointed. I think that is a good sign. These are some kids who are going to be playing some good baseball around here over the next few years.”