Softball sisters

LAKE COUNTY — Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of three articles about siblings participating together on spring sports teams.

Spending most of the day with your sibling might be something at which some relatives would cringe at. Not the McDonalds, of St. Ignatius, or the Dufords, of Polson. The two sets of sisters survived the past softball season without injury or insult and helped their teams to solid performances.

McDonalds

As soon as the pitch hits her glove, the catcher has thrown it down to third where the third baseman makes the tag on the runner trying to steal the base.

Many in the stands wonder how the third baseman knew the throw was coming or how the catcher knew she would be there.

The only explanation is that the two are sisters.

Katie and Janeal McDonald, of St. Ignatius, have been known to make a couple of those outs from time to time.

“It’s like double plays can be exciting, but when it’s with someone you live with and share emotions with, it’s so much better,” Katie said.

The two are a force to be reckoned with, on and off the field, messing with opponents, teammates and family alike.

During last year’s Class B-C State Softball Tournament, the sisters were on fire at the plate, a favorite memory for both.

“We were both on a roll out there, kicking butt,” Janeal said. “It was great just to have that experience together.”

The solid batting from both led to rumors and warnings of the sisters.

“Last year, we were batting animals,” Katie said. “It was nice to hear ‘Oh watch out for those McDonald sisters.’ It’s exciting to know that people are worried about you and know how good and how hard you try. I like hearing ‘watch out’ or ‘scoot back, big hitters coming up’ but then it’s nice to trick them out and hit it short.”

“It’s nice messing with them,” Janeal said.

The trickery doesn’t stop for the sisters when they take their cleats off. “Once we get food in our stomachs, we’re pretty intense,” Janeal said.

On bus rides home from games, the Mission-Arlee-Charlo team was treated to more pestering from the tag team.

“We both sit in the back of the bus and just harass everybody,” Janeal said.

This comes after acting serious, for a short amount of time.

“We’ll talk about the game and after about ten minutes, we just terrorize everybody,” Katie said. “The loudest two people on the bus.”

The MAC softball players aren’t the only ones that might not enjoy a car ride with Katie and Janeal.

“Our parents actually hate us when we are in the same car with them,” Katie said with a laugh.

This stems from the fact that the two are very close to one another off the field, with similar personalities.

“It’s the same personality out there, even when we’re at home, we have the same personalities,” Katie said. “We’re both the go-to people if we have like a problem. [Softball] is just more family time for us.”

“We have each other’s backs,” Janeal added.

When Janeal gets down on herself during a game, Katie is the one that will pick her up.

“[Katie] knows how to get to me in the right way, when other people would piss me off,” Janeal said. “To be honest, I have more respect for her.”

“It’s just mutual respect,” Katie said. “Other siblings can be different, but we are so close on and off the field, it’s so easy to keep meshing. If we were two different personalities, it’d be a whole different game out there.”

“It would be awkward,” Janeal said.

This doesn’t mean the two haven’t fought with each other, but they make sure they keep it off the field. Katie said the two have such a love of the game that they don’t let a petty fight get in the way of something they

both work hard for.

“A couple times we’ve had to get at each other,” Katie said. “J is the kind of person, she gets down on herself. I’m not that kind of person, so I’ll try and lift her up but sometimes I have to do it in a more verbal way and people are just like ‘whoa’. Everybody’s going to fight. We just don’t let it interfere.”

Katie and Janeal have been on the same team for much of their careers thus far, but this summer is the first time in a long time the two won’t be playing with each other as Katie has graduated and is moving on, after winning the Outstanding Senior Athlete award from Mission High School.

Each sister was asked five questions about the other to test just how well they know each other. Below is how things panned out:

What is Katie's favorite color?

J: Green.

K: Yup.

What is Katie's favorite food?

J: Spaghetti.

K: Yes.

What is Katie's favorite television channel?

J: TLC.

K: Yea.

Is Katie a morning or night person?

J: Night.

K: I don't do mornings.

What is Katie's favorite sport?

J: Softball.

K: Softball.

What is Janeal's favorite color?

K: Blue.

J: No, green.

K: Wow, totally thought I had you.

What is Janeal's favorite food?

K: That's a hard one.

J: You gotta know this one.

K: Chicken?

J: Seafood.

K: I was thinking that.

J: You really do not know me do you?

What is Janeal's favorite television channel?

K: MTV.

J: Yea.

Is Janeal a morning or night person?

K: She's more of a morning person. She can't stay up too late.

J: I get really grouchy if I'm up too late.

What is Janeal's favorite sport?

K: Softball.

J: Yea.

Dufords

After three pitches barely missing the strike zone, the catcher pops up to walk the ball back to the pitcher, with the coach staying in the dugout. The catcher says a few words and walks away. The pitcher looks more frustrated than before the talk, but it seems to work as the next two batters are struck out in three pitches each.

The pitcher and catcher meet at the dug out and are all smiles, able to shake off the strict words exchanged. Something only sisters can pull off. Kayla and Shay Duford have that type of bond. The two know each other’s emotions quite well and are able to “kind of yell at each other and not take it personally,” older sister and catcher Kayla said.

“It’s a lot easier than if it was a friend,” Shay said. “We just get over it. One time my changeup wasn’t working and she kind of told me that I looked like I was all over the place and it actually worked. She just tells me to just calm down instead of getting mad. Even though that makes me even more mad at the time, it makes me think about it.”

With Kayla behind the plate, Shay said she feels a sense of security knowing Kayla has her back.

“I can depend on her,” Shay said. “If I throw a bad pitch, it isn’t going to get by.”

In Shay’s first varsity season, the duo was a part of Polson’s state championship run this year. Kayla said Shay did better than expected.

“It’s pretty amazing for a freshman to pitch that well and her team to do that good,” Shay said.

It might have been the first time for Shay on the varsity mound, but it’s a place Kayla said she belongs.

“She gets to be the center of attention,” Kayla said. “She did really well keeping her composure and sometimes she would get down and give up some runs and she would just come back and act way older than she is. She kept it together.”

Shay started pitching when she was 10, standing in the outfield before that.

“It’s a pretty sweet position,” Shay said. “You always get to touch the ball and you get to control the game. Not always, but it’s easier.”

Facing her for every pitch is Kayla, the quiet, more reserved one, who has sat behind the plate since she was 12.

“We’re not complete opposites, but I’m more loud and outgoing where she is more quiet,” Shay said.

“She’s more like a fireball,” Kayla responded.

“I just don’t care what people say and I just speak my mind,” Shay said.

“I guess I’m a little more reserved,” Kayla said. “She’s kind of crazy, not in a bad way. She always has to be doing something. She can’t really just sit down and relax. She’s like a little fireball. If someone does something she doesn’t like, she’ll tell you.”

The differences in each extend beyond their personalities to their appearances, with Shay a brunette and Kayla a blonde, but the sisters are each other’s biggest supporters.

“Other than athletic ability, she has a really strong head on her shoulders,” Shay said of her older sister. “She’s able to shake things off if she’s doing bad offensively and pull it together on the defense.”

This past high school season wasn’t the first time the two played together. Last summer, the pitcher and catcher combined on the field for the first time, something their parents enjoy.

“It’s a lot easier for them because they can watch everybody at the same time,” Shay said.

Another benefit of having your pitcher or catcher be your sister is that you always have a sounding board when things go wrong.

“We’ve been close but now we’re extra close,” Shay said. “After the games we can talk about everything. If we feel like we did something wrong, we can figure out what’s going on. You always have someone there.”

ach sister was asked five questions about the other to test just how well they know each other. Below is how things panned out:

Dufords

What is Kayla's favorite color?

Shay: Either blue or green.

Kayla: No. Orange or yellow.

What is Kayla's favorite food?

S: I don't know. Well, she likes chicken and she likes to eat salad. A lot.

K: I do like chicken and salad.

What is Kayla's favorite television show?

S: Well, it's usually [American] Idol that she freaks out about or the hills. Or the Bachelor

K: Yea.

Is Kayla a morning or night person?

S: I would say she is more of a morning person.

K: Yea, I would say so.

What is Kayla's favorite sport?

S: Softball.

K: Softball.

What is Shay's favorite color?

K: Orange.

S: Yea.

What is Shay's favorite food?

K: She eats cereal like three times a day.

S: I do eat cereal a lot. It's good for anytime of the day.

What is Shay's favorite television show?

K: Shoot. I think she sort of likes [American] Idol. Not as much as me.

S: I really like the bachelor. I'm more of a movie person

Is Shay a morning or a night person?

K: Probably night. On the weekends, she doesn't wake up until late.

What is Shay's favorite sport?

K: Softball.

S: Yea.