The intensity of Lauren Gibson and Kourtney Salvarola is apparent whenever they step onto the field. It's on display whether they're pitching, hitting or taking an extra base.
One time last season, however, the longtime friends and current rivals couldn't help but let their guards down. Having moved up the club ranks, mostly as teammates, since playing for the Lake Shore Lightning under-10 team, Gibson now wears Chesapeake-AA blue and Salvarola sports Broadneck maroon.
It was the first time they'd faced each other in high school.
"[Before the game], as we were walking up to home plate to meet with the umpires to go over the ground rules and stuff, I looked at her and smiled. It was just really different," Salvarola, a sophomore, said of her and Gibson pitching against each other.
Gibson, a junior, smiled back. But soon after - and ever since - it has been all about the game.
The pitching rivalry continues today when the No. 1 Cougars (18-1) take on the No. 3 Bruins (15-3) for the Anne Arundel County championship at 5 p.m. at Bachman Sports Complex in Glen Burnie. The teams likely will meet again in the regional playoffs, with the survivor then primed for a state title.
Gibson and Salvarola engaged in three 2-1 games last season. Salvarola and the Bruins claimed the regular-season game and made it two in a row in the county title meeting before Gibson and the Cougars had the final say with a win in the Class 4A East regional title game on their way to the state crown.
Again this year, Broadneck made a regular-season statement with a 2-0 victory.
"Neither of us will be pitching in college, so this is a fun little battle we have going - seeing who can do better pitching in high school," said Salvarola, 16, who has made an oral commitment to the University of South Florida.
"I'm a very competitive person and I hate losing, and I know Lauren hates losing, too," added Salvarola, who said she and Gibson exchanged text messages wishing each other luck the night before their first meeting.
"That's always a good thing when we're playing on the same team, but when we're playing against each other, that's always tough because we both want to win so bad and only one can."
Gibson and Salvarola bring impressive resumes to the field today. Both play for Wagner's under-18 team in club ball (Kourtney's stepfather, Reese Kiple, and Gibson's father, Steve, coach the team), and they also played two seasons for Team New Jersey, the East Coast's premier travel team.
