A pair of adopted biological sisters who had never met or had contact with each other were both left gob smacked when they stepped onto the field for a softball tournament and spotted a familiar face on the opposing team.
Sam Rensvold, 19, lives north of Billings, Montana, with her adopted family who knew she had a sister called Kyann, but because their adoptions had been different, had no way of contacting Kyann’s family.
Sam and the sisters’ biological brother, Case, had been adopted through Lutheran Family Services, but Kyann, the middle child, had been adopted directly from their birth parents.
As a result, Sam and Case were able to continue meeting up after being adopted to different families as babies, but Kyann’s closed adoption meant they couldn’t find her.
Growing up in different parts of Montana, Sam and Kyann both shared a love of playing softball – even choosing the same number, playing in the same position, and pitching in a similar style.
The sisters’ talents took them to the state’s annual Veterans Memorial Softball Classic, in Belgrade, a gathering of some of the best players in Montana.
In 2024, both Sam and Kyann had been invited to play, but Kyann could not make the tournament.
That day, however, Kyann’s classmate, Hayley Hernandez, who was playing with Sam, spotted the remarkable resemblance between Sam and her high school teammate, both in looks and play.
When she returned to school, Hayley showed Kyann a picture of Sam, but Kyann wasn’t convinced they looked alike.
Then, a year later, with all three playing at the tournament – Kyann with a Class B school, Sam with a Class A school – Hayley this time asked Sam about her family history.
Having discovered Sam was born in the same area as Kyann; had been adopted; and had a birth sister she hadn’t met, Hayley put the pieces together, and Sam’s mom spoke to Kyann’s mom on the sidelines.
When everything clicked, the parents, who were within earshot of Sam and Kyann, headed over to the sisters during a lightning break to tell them the news.
Kyann’s mom, Stacy, took out her camera to record the first meeting between the pair, which took place on August 1, 2025, where the sisters came together with a giggling handshake in disbelief.
Since then, Kyann and Sam have met up, spent time with their brother, Case, and have gone on to play softball at their respective colleges, messaging daily via Snapchat.
Kyann, who plays college softball in North Dakota, said: “I was really excited to meet her, and I was kind of speechless and obviously nervous because I didn’t know how it was going to go.
“It was really awkward at first, having like all of our family around, with all the excitement – everyone wanted to see us together.
“I also think it’s great to now have a little brother, because I’ve always been the youngest in my family, the youngest grandchild.
“Having that is really cool for me to actually be an older sibling now.”
Sam, who plays college softball in Washington State, said: “I honestly think there was no better way for it to happen because we were both doing something that we love.
“When I was growing up and I would sit there and imagine what it would be like if I ever met my sister, I would always think of it in a softball setting – it was never a doubt in my mind.
“So, it’s crazy when I reflect on that, how I just had a feeling.
“That first meeting was definitely awkward, but I think that just comes from you’re not really taught how to meet like someone like your sister – no one knows how to go about that situation.
“My initial reaction was just to give her a handshake.
“You can see that I’m so giggly and I just can’t stop smiling – but I was also very nervous.
“I wanted to say all the right things to her, and the only thing I could think of doing was to shake her hand.
“I definitely was all over the place after that – I had to finish my game I don’t think it affected the way I played at all, but everybody, all my teammates on my team, were going crazy.
“I was just so excited that it was happening to me.”
