Softball athletes on the Legends National 16U team often find themselves on opposing teams during school softball season.
For Lady Blackhawk sophomore Emory Bowlin, pitcher, that was an added challenge to the competition Saturday in the Arkansas 4A North Regional championship game Saturday.
Bowlin has played travel ball with Gravette ball players Laney Chilton and Kenlee Harris for seven years and with Drew Madison for four years. Lady Blackhawk catcher Callie Cooper is also on the Legends travel team and Zaylee Warden was on the team for a time the .
That time together has forged close relationships for the girls.
"It's definitely challenging," Bowlin said this weekend. "I like to play against them because it gives me extra motivation to play harder, to go out and help my team beat them. Obviously you want to be able to beat your best friends!"
Saturday, the two softball teams squared off. The game was scoreless until the sixth inning when Gravette made three runs. When the Blackhawks did not score at the top of the seventh, the game was over with Gravette declared the first-place winners and Pea Ridge taking the runner-up spot.
"It's hard to play against them," Bowlin admitted, saying she just "wants to give them a big hug right before they get up to bat."
"But, they can't be your friends on the field, then it will get in your head and you'll try to overdo it and you can't overdo it!"
"After game, we always give each other a hug... it really helps," she said.
Bowlin said that even as the girls went through the congratulatory line after the game, one of the girls said to her: "I got a good hit off of you, but you did strike me out."
With travel ball, games are through the summer and fall, after high school softball season.
She said that playing with the girls from Gravette doesn't necessarily give them insight into her pitching because they play in the field and don't see her pitches as well as the catcher does. She said pitchers change all the time.
"It really helps when you have played with them but also you can play against them, because that competitive nature gets bigger for all of us," she said.
"After the game, we're like ... it happened; we're friends now!"
Annette Beard/Pea Ridge TIMES
Blackhawk pitcher Emory Bowlin and Lions players Laney Chilton hug one another after the championship game Saturday. For more photographs, go to the PRT gallery at https://tnebc.nwaonline.com/photos/.
Annette Beard/Pea Ridge TIMES
Blackhawk pitcher Emory Bowlin and Lions players Kenlee Harris, Drew Madison and Laney Chilton encourage and rib each other after the championship game Saturday. For more photographs, go to the PRT gallery at https://tnebc.nwaonline.com/photos/.