Family takes on different meaning for Martensdale-St. Mary's softball's German twins
Softball is a family affair for Martensdale-St. Mary’s, and that turn of phrase means something different for the Blue Devils’ starting pitcher and shortstop.
Campbell German, Martensdale-St. Mary’s starting pitcher, and Brynnly German are not only sisters but twins. There’s also a third German sister, Maclaine, who's two years younger on the roster, which means that family makes up a fifth of the team.
On Tuesday, it was a battle between twins in the Class 2A state quarterfinal. The German sisters, who are juniors, faced off against Ansley and Hadley Oswald, the starting catcher and first baseman for St. Edmond.
It was the German twins and their teammates who won the sisterly showdown.
Martensdale-St. Mary’s advanced to the semifinal round after beating the Gaels, 1-0. The score was knotted at zero each through five and a half innings before a Sydney Bears hit drove Ellie Baker home for the only run of the game.
Bears and Baker may have been the difference makers on the scoreboard, but Campbell and Brynnly still played their parts well.
“Brynnly sets the tone at bat, being our leadoff hitter, and Campbell sets the tone on the mound,” said coach Emily Wood. “When Cam’s pitching, everyone plays great defense. Brynnly led the class in triples for a while. And they keep the energy up in the dugout.”
There must be some softball magic in the German genes and growing up playing together has paid off for Campbell and Brynnly.
“I was a catcher at one point,” Brynnly said. “I caught for her up to like 12U and then I stopped. It’s hard, her spin. And then I played shortstop for my tournament team, and we needed a shortstop, and now we’re here.”
Both sisters agreed that they can get under the other’s skin but that they really are best friends, which has aided both players’ on-field success.
Campbell recorded a 0.82 ERA, a .078 opponent batting average and picked up her 500th career strikeout prior to the quarterfinal matchup. Brynnly leads the Blue Devils with nine triples.
The German twins are a large part of Martensdale-St. Mary’s success.
But, for them, family extends beyond the trio of sisters.
“We all come together and we all just understand that we need to back each other up,” Campbell said. “We play a lot together. So, the chemistry’s there and it’s kind of like one big family, honestly.”
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Family takes on different meaning for Martensdale-St. Mary's softball
