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Sandy • Ina Malo stepped to the plate with one goal in mind.
The game was approaching its conclusion, so she realized this was likely her final at-bat. Malo needed to blast a home run to avoid, if anything else, family ridicule.
As one of four sisters — one in each grade — starting for the varsity softball program at Jordan High, she'd watched her three siblings round the bases earlier in the game.
"You could tell she was swinging for the fence [in] her last at-bat," said fourth-year Jordan coach Kayla Bruner.
Ina cranked a deep shot into left field. It was going to be close. Did it have the distance? Ina tried to will the ball over the fence, but as it fell short, she lost track of her surroundings, stumbled over first base and planted into the dirt.
"That was horrible," Ina chuckled. "Looking into [my sister's] eyes, it looked like they wanted to boast about it, but I didn't really want to stay close to them, so they wouldn't talk to me about it."
But Ina, a junior, knew there was no escaping this. The entire ride home, Teuila, a senior; Julie, a sophomore; and Puavai, a freshman, razzed their sister.
"We eat a lot, so when we went home we told her she couldn't eat dinner 'cause she didn't hit it over the fence," Teuila said. "She still ate. She didn't care."
Family has an unique way of communication and interaction. Making fun of each other is a testament of love and comfort. Ina never felt threatened or offended knowing the time will come when she's delivering the punch line.
It's this type of bond that is bringing the team closer. Many programs incorporate the cliché of "family" into their daily mantra, but behind four sisters, the Beetdiggers mean it.
"Every single one of them we call them [our] sisters. They're our teammates, but we consider them sisters," Julie said. "We see them in school, on the field, off the field — we have to trust each other everywhere we go."
Jordan (1-5) started the season with five consecutive losses, but recently registered an 18-7, five-inning mercy-rule win against Highland. Despite the stumble on the bases, Ina's effort in a game already decided is a reflection of the competitive nature the Malo family is injecting into the program.
"I think talent is not the issue," Bruner said. "It's the desire to win and finding that inner beast in these sweet young girls. We've got to pull the monster out of them. I think they're finally sick of losing. They kind of laid it into Highland, and I think that's going to be a start of a good thing."
Leading by example, the Malo sisters are willing to sacrifice anything to set the program on the track to success. After starting at shortstop for two years, Teuila moved to center field to allow Puavai to play her natural position.
Yet Teuila didn't view the situation as a demotion. Instead, it was a blessing. She could show confidence in her younger sister while improving the entire team unit. The act of selflessness left an impression on Puavai.
"I've learned a lot," Puavai said. "I love playing with them. They teach me everything. They tell me what I'm doing wrong, and they're not afraid to tell me. They help me get better."
These kinds of memories from playing high school athletics have the potential for long-lasting effects. This is when teammates join together in the journey into adulthood.
"I don't want to make good softball players," Bruner said. "I want to make good people. There are a lot of wonderful lessons you can learn from this game."
This is the final year for the Malo foursome. Bruner said the sisters are the "foundation" to the program, and without them Jordan will never be the same, but no matter the outcome to the season, one irrefutable fact is emerging: They are family.
Twitter: @trevorphibbs