Photo by Jim Ridolphi
Controversial calls always make the rivalry game bigger. Above: Hanover catcher Courtney Long, left, blocks the plate and tags LD runner Jana Martin, right, as she tried to score from third in the fifth. After an officials’ conference, the call was reversed and Martin got another chance and tied the score later in the inning. 

For everyone involved this is the big one
By Jim Ridolphi


Apr 29, 2008

When these softball teams get together, it’s on a first name basis

Sometimes, the most bitter of rivals make the best friends. Consider the case of Hanover girls softball coach Chris Pace and his counterpart at Lee-Davis, Jackie Davis. When the teams meet on the field, you’d never guess the two winning coaches have formed a lasting relationship through, what else, softball.

But the connection between these two squads goes even deeper. Many of the girls on these teams played softball together from their formative years. They know each other on a first name basis, and that does not make the rivalry any less intense.

Pace got his start in the business as Davis’ assistant at Lee-Davis, so there’s a special place in his heart for the Confederates and playing them is almost like coming home for the Hawks coach.

The two teams met last week with the district lead on the line and Lee-Davis evened this season’s score with the Hawks, taking a 3-2 nine-inning decision from the visitors. It was the first win over Hanover for the C-Feds in two years and that fact did not go unnoticed following the contest.

“It’s a good feeling,” Davis said after the game. “We haven’t been able to do that in two years, so that kind of gets that monkey off our back,” she said. “It should give the girls confidence going in the final part of the season and the playoffs.”

Davis said she attempts to keep a routine approach to the Hanover game, but admits it is difficult. “I try not to treat it any differently, but it’s hard since this is such a great rivalry,” Davis said.

She also noted it is always special when you are coaching against someone you know. “Chris (Pace) coached here with me and I have a lot of respect for him and his team,” she said. “He’s done a great job and they’re definitely the best team we play, year-in and year-out.”

The admiration is mutual, and following the tough loss, Pace had nothing but praise for his former colleague and her team. “They’re a great hitting and great defensive team,” Pace said. “They made great plays tonight.”

As a former LD assistant, Pace admits the game with Lee-Davis is always bittersweet. “I worked here for nine years. There’s a little piece of me that likes to see the Orange and Blue do well,” he said. “Jackie does a great job and I have a lot of respect for her and the program. I know what happens every day on their practice field and it’s hard work. We take the same approach.”

As for his preparation for the rivalry game, Pace said he also likes to keep it as routine as possible, but during the game, he feels the additional pressure of playing his neighborhood rivals.

“It’s brutal,” he said. “My heart beats about 1,000 beats a minute.” To relieve the stress, Pace said he has adopted an old habit he learned from his father. “I rock back and forth.”

Davis agreed. “There is more pressure during the game. These programs know each other well and it’s always a great game when they meet,” Davis said. “But, it’s a lot easier being on the winning side.”

For the players, the backyard clash means playing against friends who learned the game together, many of them competing in Little League from an early age. “This is our biggest rivalry,” said Jamie Bodman following her game-winning hit. “We think about this one all year and we wanted it bad. It’s my first time that I’ve played Hanover that we won, so it’s very exciting for us.”

Bodman said the familiar rivalry makes for stressful and close contests, and last week’s game was no exception. “We’ve won championships with these girls when we were younger and now we have to concentrate on playing against them,” she said.

The Capital District pressure cooker heats up even more in the coming weeks. Both Hanover and Lee Davis are 4-1 in the district with wins over Atlee. Both teams also face the Raiders one more time paving the way for a three-way tie for the crown if Atlee can avenge those earlier losses.

Even in this world of friendly rivalries, a dose of reality peeks through when both squads peer in their crystal balls.

“We expect we’ll be seeing them again,” Bodman said.

“There’s a lot of softball left to be played,” echoed Pace.

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