Andrean’s Sadie Drousias rounded third base and knew who was waiting at home plate.
Her sister, Hanover Central catcher Cyd Drousias.
“I was hoping that the throw wasn’t going to be there because I did not want to get into a play with her,” Sadie Drousias said.
Cyd Drousias didn’t feel so avoidant.
“I was really hoping that throw was coming to me,” she said.
Sadie Drousias scored easily on the play, and that turned out to be the closest interaction on the field between them Thursday as her 59ers defeated Cyd Drousias’ Wildcats 4-2 in a nonconference game in Merrillville.
Cyd Drousias, a senior who has committed to play at Lewis, knew she was going to hear some trash talk after the game from her sister, who is a freshman.
“I don’t plan on going home,” Cyd Drousias said with a laugh.
Since that game was the first time the sisters were opponents — and will likely be the only one — the preceding days were full of anticipation for their family.
“We were having mock drafts on which family member would sit on which side and what gear they were going to wear,” Cyd Drousias said.
Sadie Drousias said it was determined that no team apparel would be worn by family members in attendance, and extra precautions were taken to avoid any accusations of favoritism. Their brother Colton was among those who tried to please — or at least not annoy — either sister.
“I chose to stay neutral on this one,” Colton Drousias said with a big smile. “And after the third inning, I moved over to the other side. Sadie probably would’ve been pretty irritated with me, and vice versa as well.”
Their mother, Tammy, opted to wear her Sox Fastpitch shirt.
“I was going to have two different shirts sewn together down the middle, but I figured it was only going to be for this one game,” Tammy Drousias said. “And they both played for this travel program, so I figured I could be neutral that way.”
No such neutrality existed on the field, however. In the second inning, when Sadie Drousias first entered the game as a pinch runner, Cyd Drousias jumped from her crouch behind the plate after every pitch, hoping to catch her sister straying too far from first base.
“When you see your own blood on the bases, that extra competitiveness kicks in,” Cyd Drousias said.
But Sadie Drousias wasn’t going to let her sister pick her off.
“Because she never would’ve shut up about it,” Sadie Drousias said with a laugh.
Such a competitive streak is common in their family. Colton Drousias was at the game after returning from West Virginia, where he has been wrestling since graduating from Mount Carmel in 2020. Another sibling, Caleb Drousias, is headed to Wabash to wrestle after he graduates from Mount Carmel this spring.
Softball is the sport of choice for the Drousias sisters, who have used it as the foundation for their relationship.
“We wouldn’t be as close as we are if not for softball,” Sadie Drousias said.
Their different positions allow them to offer plenty of constructive criticism.
Cyd Drousias, one of the big bats in the lineup for Hanover Central (17-2), is hitting .492 with six doubles, a home run and 25 RBIs. Sadie Drousias is the No. 2 pitcher for Andrean (20-6).
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“She definitely helps me out with change-ups,” Cyd Drousias said.
Sadie Drousias is 2-1 with a 3.39 ERA in 31 innings in her first high school season but has looked to her older sister for help at the plate.
“She’s helped me with my hitting a lot,” Sadie Drousias said. “She’s always correcting me because I never know what to do. But she does.”
Now that they’re both at the high school level, they’ve started trading scouting reports.
“If she played some team that we have a game against coming up, we’ll get the inside scoop from her, and vice versa,” Cyd Drousias said.
But she said her sister was suspiciously quiet this week.
“It’s been a little weird,” Cyd Drousias said while casting an accusatory glance at Sadie. “I’d ask who was pitching, and she said she didn’t know.”
After Andrean’s win on Thursday, however, Sadie Drousias may not be so quiet.
“I’ll probably bring it up,” she said, and then she smirked. “A lot.”
Cyd Drousias was already wondering how she would even the score.
“I may have to beat her in Jenga or something to make up for this,” she said.
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.