FREEPORT — Kristie and Tori Radvan spend a lot of time together.

“It’s a good thing,” says Kristie, a senior volleyball and softball standout at Freeport, before pausing. “And sometimes a bad thing.”

Tori lets out a cackle.

The sisters’ bond is a strong one, forged through a love of sports and competition.

And now the two are sharing a softball field and are hitting back-to-back in the Yellowjackets’ potent lineup.

“It’s definitely a lot of fun,” Kristie said. “We grew up playing together and it’s been great to see how much she’s grown. Sometimes I see her still as a 10-year-old playing with us when we were 14.”

Tori has made a big impact for Freeport, which is 7-1 following a 8-0 blanking of Valley Friday, as a freshman this season.

She bats fifth behind Kristie and is also a pitcher for the Yellowjackets.

Tori is batting .500 with a pair of home runs in her young career.

She’s offering protection in the lineup for Kristie, who batted .482 with five home runs and 19 RBI last season.

“Teams are pitching me differently this season,” Kristie said. “In my first at-bat against Burrell, I walked on four pitches. I’m getting a lot more changeups and offspeed pitches on the outside corner. That’s OK. Tori’s hitting behind me and they’ll learn soon enough.

“Our lineup,” Kristie added, “you can’t pitch around any of us.”

Despite that, Kristie is still batting .696 with two home runs.

Tori said she didn’t feel much pressure hitting behind her sister because of all the softball she has played between school and travel ball since she took her first swing as a 6-year-old.

She also relishes the opportunity to have her sister’s back.

“I grew up looking up to her,” Tori said. “I know she’s always with me and motivating me to do better.”

Even if that means getting on her at times.

“She does yell at me,” Tori said.

But the sisters are able to compartmentalize their softball life from their home life.

Well, most of the time.

The two do square off against each other in practice and in intersquad scrimmages.

Because they are so familiar with one another, it’s tough for either to fool the other.

“The first scrimmage we had, I hit a double off of her,” Tori said proudly. “Then she hit a double off me. Still, it counted for me.”

Said Kristie: “It definitely does always come back to the dinner table.”

Kristie, who will play at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown next season, is also a standout pitcher.

She is 6-1 this season and has struck out 42 batters while only walking three.

She was 11-4 last year with a 3.65 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 92 innings.

Tori is a third baseman and Kristie can often hear her barking encouragement during a game.

“It feels good always hearing her behind me, yelling, ‘Let’s go,’” Kristie said. “It’s nice hearing a familiar voice.”

The two are radically different, though, when it comes to how they pitch.

“My big pitch is the curveball on the outside part of the plate,” Kristie said. “Tori likes to live on the inside part.”

The two are trying to enjoy the one year they will have playing together.

They have a younger sister, Jayme, who will turn eight in June.

Jayme is already following in her older sisters’ footsteps.

“She uses our bats, the ones me and Tori used when we were her age,” Kristie said. “It’s really cool to go to her games.”

Tori won’t have the chance to play in high school with Jayme, so this is the first and last season two Radvans will share the same field.

Tori wants to pick up next year where Kristie’s career will leave off.

“Someone has to fill in her shoes,” Tori said, “and I’m trying to get ready for that position.”

And those are some pretty big shoes.

“I guess,” Tori said, laughing. “Yeah, they are.”