There are not many sophomores who get the chance to be the leading pitcher for a big program. Chloe Barber is one of them.
What makes her situation even more unique is the fact she’s getting this opportunity with her younger sister, freshman Heidi Barber, who plays catcher across from her.
Chloe leads White Bear Lake’s pitching staff while Heidi controls operations behind the plate. The two have succeeded both out in the field and with their bats at home plate, and their game Friday against Cretin-Derham Hall proved no different as White Bear Lake topped the Raiders 5-2 at Cretin-Derham Hall.
Though Heidi is just a year younger than her sister, the two had not recently played together on the same team.
Both Barber sisters admitted that there has been an adjustment period for them as batterymates this season and even joked about some disagreements about which pitch should be thrown by Chloe.
“We’re getting along,” Heidi Barber said. “I think it’s fun because we connect with each other. We know how they’re feeling. We understand each other’s personalities.”
Shortly after Cretin-Derham Hall tied White Bear Lake 2-2 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on Friday, the Bears came back with vengeance in the sixth. White Bear Lake got consecutive home runs from sisters Heidi and Chloe Barber, with their blasts being enough to lift the Bears to a 5-2 victory over the Raiders at Cretin-Derham Hall High School.
The Bears (11-3, 10-2) got a 2-0 lead scratching a run across in each of the third and fourth innings. Second baseman Mik Stowe started the scoring in the third with an RBI single and finished the game 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Heidi Barber, a freshman catcher for the Bears, was responsible for the next two runs from White Bear Lake, ranked No. 5 in the Class 4A coaches’ poll. In the fourth inning, she scored on a single by Jordyn Meyer. Then her long ball in the sixth put the Bears ahead 3-2. She finished 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored.
Chloe Barber was formidable offensively and from the circle for White Bear Lake. At the plate, she went 1-for-4 with a home run, just moments after her younger sister knocked her homer. The sophomore pitcher struck out 13 batters, allowing three hits and two runs in seven innings to pick up the win.
Cretin-Derham Hall’s best chance at a potential upset came in the bottom of the fifth inning, when the Raiders (3-9, 3-9) plated two runs while picking up their first two hits of the contest against Chloe Barber. Senior right fielder Ella Klein smacked in the first run for Cretin-Derham Hall with a single. She finished 2-for-2 with a walk, two singles and an RBI.
Raiders junior pitcher Tyler Mader recorded the loss, tossing five innings, and allowing three runs and seven hits while striking out one.
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