INDEPENDENCE - Every girl with aspirations to play softball in Independence has to walk to the pitching circle.

Being a pitcher might be a goal for some, others may gravitate to other positions on the field.

Becki and Leah Buls made the stroll to the pitching circle. They haven't left since.

The Buls sisters share sisterhood and the role of pitcher, all the way from practice sessions in the front yard to prosperous collegiate careers.

Becki, 22, is a senior right-hander at Luther College and has a 14-3 record for the Iowa Conference regular-season champion. Leah, 19, is a right-handed freshman at Clarke College in Dubuque with a 7-2 mark.

The sisters had to start their careers somewhere, and, like many diamond dreams, it began in the front yard with their father.

Lanny Buls provided the impetus for his daughters with a simple contraption - a 24-inch piece of wood hammered on top of a hole, designed to mimic a pitching circle. The Buls home sits on a hill, so the slight slope made practice a "neat thing," Lanny said.

"He made it as realistic as possible in our front yard," Becki said. "When you're that young, everybody has to try and pitch. My dad told us, 'Put effort into it. Don't just pretend to do it because it's cool.'

"My dad just helped us along."

With time, Becki and Leah moved on to the local diamond. Becki, who at 5-foot-8 is shorter than the 6-foot Leah, took to pitching right away.

Leah, on the other hand, wasn't as enamored as her older sibling. It wasn't until middle school that she latched onto the position.

"I tried it and hated it," Leah said. "I had a hard time controlling the pitches. In seventh grade, I saw Becki (pitch) and I wanted to do it. I eventually got the hang of it."

As the sisters got older, their styles became more defined. Becki developed into a power pitcher, while Leah used her drop ball with more regularity.

Lanny Buls describes Becki as a snapper, the type of thrower that gets sideways spin with the ball. Leah, as her father says, is a "roll topper."

"The ball looks like it's rolling at you," Lanny said. "I'm not the one that deserves all the credit. Their (high school) pitching coach Mark Plien did an awesome job with them."

Becki was a starter on several of Independence's state tournament squads. Leah was a freshman during Becki's senior season, and the coaching staff utilized the sisters in a unique way.

Often, Becki would start the first game of a doubleheader. After pitching five or six innings, Leah relieved her. The same routine often occurred in the second game, with Leah as the starter and Becki out of the bullpen.

In their final game as teammates in Becki's Class 2A first-team senior season, Leah's relief was a passing-of-the-torch moment.

"We were winning by quite a bit, and the coach wanted to get a lot of pitchers in," Becki recalled. "She threw an inning or two in my last game. Not very many people get to experience that."

Becki banked on her high school success with a commitment to Luther in 2003 and was selected to the all-Iowa Conference team in 2006. She's tied for the team lead in strikeouts with 73.

Leah also stayed in the area, moving on to Clarke College.

And, in a twist of fate, Becki and Leah's college teams met in a doubleheader April 22 in Dubuque. Even though they didn't face each other on the mound, it was the last time the Buls sisters would share a competitive field together.

Their journey shows there's room for two in the pitching circle.

"Both had determination," Lenny said. "This is what they wanted to do, and it's been great to see them do well. It's been amazing."

Contact Michael Schmidt at sportsdoor@wcfcourier.com