Meet the three pairs of sisters hoping to lead Dighton-Rehoboth softball to glory

NORTH DIGHTON— A softball team is often described as a sisterhood, but in the case of Dighton-Rehoboth, it's also quite literal.

Among the 16 players on this year's roster are three pairs of sisters: senior outfielder Lucy Latour and freshman pitcher Edy Latour, senior outfielder Caleigh Cloonan and sophomore infielder Cam Cloonan and twins/senior outfielders Giselle Pacheco and Olivia Pacheco. It's a factor Falcons coach Katie Holmes feels only increases team morale.

"It brings us a lot closer together," D-R coach Katie Holmes said. "Just having those three pairs of sisters really makes it a family. They're all really close."

The Falcons are no strangers to sister pairings, with both Cloonans having played big parts on last year's squad while junior shortstop Haleigh Kelley spent her first two seasons playing alongside catcher and first baseman Maddie Kelley, who's now a freshman at Quinnipiac University.

"It's really nice to have that pairing, especially for Edy to have Lucy here to start as a freshman is an incredible thing that I think anybody would want," Holmes said. "Cam had it last year with Caleigh, so it's really nice that we have these families here that can support each other."

Beyond that, Holmes said its the closeness among not just the sisters, but the eight seniors who've all grown up playing together, that has helped to charge them up and keep them going.

"They bring a lot of energy because they're not afraid to be goofy or to cheer each other on and do whatever they need to cheer each other up," Holmes said. "I know some people will be like 'don't you have a lot of fighting?' but there's really none. They pick each other up and they know how to pick each other up because they're so close."

It's a sentiment the girls themselves certainly agree with.

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"I feel like there's nobody that I'm not friends with or not close with," Caleigh Cloonan said. "We're all just a big family."

"We kind of bring out each other's personalities that you wouldn't see normally," Giselle Pacheco said.

With all of their eyes set on securing a much-coveted Division 3 title after coming so close the past few years, here's a closer look at the three pairs of sisters who will hope to help lead that charge this spring.

The Latours

Due to their three-year age gap, the Latours had never played on the same team prior to this spring.

"I've been watching her since I was little," Edy said. "For three years, I'd been watching her in high school (while) wanting to be on the team and I'm finally here and I think it's been a great opportunity for me and her."

The elder Latour has been one of the team's best players over the past few years and leads the Falcons in hits (11) and runs (6) through the first five games. But the younger Latour has already made a name for herself in the circle for the Falcons, tossing a seven strikeout no hitter against perennial powers Silver Lake in her varsity debut and has allowed just five runs in her first four games while contributing at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run against Middleboro.

"I'm super proud of her," Lucy said. "She came in really strong and that's all I wanted for her. I was so excited to play with my sister and to see her doing so well has been really amazing."

As for Edy, knowing she has her sister in the lineup always gives her confidence in circle.

"I always know she's going to be there for me and she's going to be hitting bombs," Edy said with a laugh.

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The Pachecos

When you're a twin, its often said you have a built-in friend for life, and that's certainly the case for Giselle and Olivia.

"We just have each other all the time," Olivia said. "When we were little, we used to throw to each other, so it's great to have someone that you're so close to and you can be in sports together."

Olivia joined Giselle on the varsity squad this spring, something the latter said has only further strengthen their relationship.

"We've done everything together, so doing a sport together has allowed us to build our bond even more," Giselle added.

Likewise, a little bit of sibling rivalry has helped push them further.

"We get very competitive with each other during softball," Olivia said with a laugh.

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The Cloonans

Now in their second together with the Falcons, the Cloonans know they can always count on each other to have their backs, especially on the field when Cam is playing second and Caleigh is in right field.

"We both have each other and we're able to talk to each other throughout the game and understand each other," Cam said. "It's definitely helpful having each other and I don't know what we would do if we didn't have someone to rely on."

While she knows she can rely on her sister behind her, Cam lets little past her in the infield, something which was on full display Monday as she made a leaping catch on a hard line drive to deny Case another run.

"She's such a good player that I honestly wasn't surprised when she caught it," Caleigh said.

With their second season together also being their last, Cam wants to help see her sister and her fellow seniors go out with a bang.

"We've always made it so close (to the Division 3 title), so with Edy and (others), I feel like we're going to do good and go all the way, but we've just got to play with each other as a team," Cam said.

Taunton Daily Gazette sports reporter Cameron Merritt can be reached at cmerritt@tauntongazette.com. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @CamMerritt_News. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to the Taunton Daily Gazette today.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Dighton-Rehoboth softball's three sisters' bonds brings team closer