ORWIGSBURG - A relationship between teammates is special.

But a bond between siblings is a kinship that lasts a lifetime.Just ask the two pair of sisters on the Northern Lehigh softball team - Kaitlin Hoffman and Lauren Hoffman, and Tiff Yesik and Katie Yesik."Not a lot of people get to play with their siblings," said Tiff Yesik. "So I gotta say, it's a blessing. I love her."All four have played key roles in the Bulldogs' success this season.And all four were on the field Thursday night in Northern Lehigh's District 11 Class 3A championship game against Pine Grove.The result - a 5-1 loss - wasn't what they hoped for. But much like it's been throughout the season, they were there for each other, win or lose."To have my sister is awesome," said Kaitlin Hoffman, a junior who started for the Bulldogs Thursday night and picked up her 100th career hit in a semifinal win over Salisbury. "She's my biggest fan; always cheers for me."She always picks me up when I'm down, and I try to do the same for her. It's amazing just to be able to play with a sibling, let alone have success with one. She's phenomenal."Kaitlin, a junior who was tabbed as a First Team Colonial League All-Star as a pitcher this spring and was the Times News Softball Player of the Year last season, has made it a point to take Lauren, a freshman, under her wing this year."I'm definitely trying to put it in her head that success is a good thing," Kaitlin said. "I'm trying to get her to experience that so she pushes everybody that's coming up to do the same thing, and trying to help the program to keep getting better."It seems to have resonated.Lauren Hoffman, who was Northern Lehigh's starting shortstop against Pine Grove, was a Colonial League Honorable Mention selection this season."It's amazing," Lauren said of the experience. "I get to support her, and she supports me all the way. If we get our heads down, she picks me back up and I pick her back up."She's been a big help. She has my back and I have hers."The feeling is mutual."She's like an angel on the field," Kaitlin said of knowing Lauren is behind her. "She's definitely someone that I can always look at, and she'll always give me a nod, or give me a little signal that she's behind me. I know she always has my back, and I trust her 100 percent."While this was the first season Lauren and Kaitlin played together at the varsity level, it was the second time Tiff Yesik, a senior, and Katie Yesik, a sophomore, had the opportunity to do so."It definitely got us closer as sisters, because we're together all the time," said Katie, who started in right field Thursday night."When I was in eighth grade, I thought that maybe I would have two years to play with my sister, and I did. But now, it's upsetting because I know that I won't get to play with her anymore."A senior, Tiff couldn't have been prouder to share the field with her sister in her final game."She worked her butt off," said Tiff, who started at third base. "I'm proud of her."We didn't really talk about playing together, we just felt it. She did everything she could, and I'm thankful for her."The ability to coach all four players at the same time, and to such great success, is a unique opportunity not lost on Northern Lehigh head coach Bob Hicks."I think it's good," said Hicks. "They support each other. They pick each other up. Some days they don't. They're sisters. They're siblings. But for the most part, they support each other. They share bats, they're high-fiving each other and things like that."To have two sets of sisters? It's cool."