Staff photo / Dan Hiner. East Palestine’s Taylor Foster releases a pitch during the third inning of a game against Leetonia on Wednesday in New Waterford.

NEW WATERFORD — The Foster sisters have been a mainstay in the East Palestine softball lineup for the last four years. On Wednesday, the team honored them with a senior celebration and a couple wins.

The Bulldogs beat Leetonia twice, winning the first game 14-1 and the nightcap 16-6.

Maddison Foster ended Wednesday 1-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored, an RBI and four walks. Taylor Foster went 1-for-2 with four runs scored, three RBIs and four walks.

In the circle, Taylor Foster earned the complete-game win in the nightcap. She allowed six runs — five earned — on nine hits and two walks, striking out three.

“We make each other better players because we’re competitive,” Maddison Foster said.

They’ve also spent time working together, just like on Wednesday. During the doubleheader, Maddison caught and Taylor pitched the second game.

“We always played coordinating positions,” Taylor Foster said. “I remember, my freshman year, I played third, she played shortstop. I started pitching, she was catching. She played second one time when I was at first. We’re always together, doing what we do.”

The Foster twins were the only two seniors on this year’s East Palestine squad, so their banners were the only ones hanging on the backside of the Bulldogs’ dugout. And underneath, pizza and snacks for after the game to celebrate their careers and Wednesday’s wins with family, friends and teammates.

“End of an era, really,” Taylor Foster said. “It’s our last home game. We’ve been playing together since tee ball. Sad it’s gonna end.”

GAME 1

The Bulldogs started the postponed game with runners on the corners in the top of the second inning, with East Palestine leading 6-0. Taylor Foster was at the plate and drew a walk to load the bases.

Lilly Ratner scored on a wild pitch, and Izabella Wendell came home on a fielder’s choice.

Kara Lewis’ bloop single behind second plated Foster, and a single from Alivia Magness drove in Graycee Ford to take a 10-0 lead.

Lewis doubled, Kennedy Andre singled and Maddison Foster walked to load the bases. A two-out throwing error allowed a run to score and increased the East Palestine lead to 11-0.

Ella Harris drew a walk and scored on a hit to left field by Audrey Ellis-Russell to get the Bears on the board in the bottom of the third.

In the fourth, Cami Kridler was hit by a pitch and Ratner drew a walk. Both runners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch, and Kridler scored on a dropped popup on the infield for an unearned run to push the Bulldog lead to 14-1.

The game was called at the end of the fourth to provide time for Game 2.

Andre earned the win, allowing one run on three hits and a walk in the complete game.

Ellis-Russell took the loss allowing 14 runs on 16 hits and nine walks.

GAME 2

The bats didn’t cool down for East Palestine (8-8) after the 10-minute break between games.

Magness singled to lead off the bottom of the first, and Andre drew a walk. Maddison Foster put the first run on the board with a single to center, scoring Magness.

Taylor Foster drew a walk to load the bases. An RBI groundout by Ford allowed Andre to score, and a walk by Sydney Jurjavcic loaded the bases once again.

Emma Gingher drove in a run on a single, Magness forced home a run on a bases-loaded walk, and a throwing error on a wild pitch plated another.

Ratner was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the third time in the first inning. Gringher scored on a wild pitch, Andre and Maddison Foster both added RBIs on bases-loaded walks, Taylor Foster followed with a two-run double to left.

The Bulldog base runners left early to end the first with a 10-0 lead.

In the second, Kridler and Andre drew bases-loaded walks, and an error scored another run, pushing the Bulldogs’ lead to 13-0.

Breyle Merritt drove in the Bears’ (0-14) first run with an RBI single to center, and Payton Gray followed with a two-RBI double to the left-field fence to cut the deficit to 13-3.

The Bulldogs scored a few more runs in the third, and Ellis-Russell hit a three-run Little League home run in the top of the fourth.

The second game was called in in the middle of the fourth inning.

Ellis-Russell took the loss again after trying to throw back-to-back games, but she got worn out quickly. She allowed five runs on two hits and three walks in one-third of an inning.

“There were a lot of mistakes, but they’re doing good on hitting,” Leetonia head coach Alicia Kline said. “They’re OK with that. It’s just the errors in the field right now.”

With the two games against the Bears, the Bulldogs began a stretch where they play seven games in four days in preparation for the tournament.

“Real busy week, and then the tournament, we got a home game,” East Palestine head coach Clarence Andre said. “We’re lucky we got that out of the draw.”