By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

In the moments following the Field softball team’s loss in Friday’s Division IV state semifinal, there was a glowing smile on the face of longtime head coach Beth Dyer.

Addy Lay hits an opposite field solo home run in the top of the fourth inning in Friday’s Division IV state semifinal.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

A smile that may have confused people considering that the Falcons had just lost 5-3 to the Kenton Ridge Cougars.

For Dyer and her group, yes, it was the end of a magical and historic season, but not the end of the lifelong memories that were created along the way.

Memories that include a sixth league championship in seven years and the program’s first-ever regional championship and appearance in the state semifinal.

Despite the sting of the state-semifinal loss and the emotions of the season being over, it left Dyer in a state of reflection and appreciation for her team.

“I just have to say thank you to the team,” Dyer said as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Thank you are two words, though, that are not enough for me to give to them to express how much they mean to me. I am so incredibly proud of them for what they have accomplished.

“It was such an incredible season,” Dyer added. “I don’t think anyone would have predicted this type of season for them. They represented their school and community in such a special way — and represented Portage County. Today, they played with all heart and gave a good game to a really good team”

The Cougars, who are the reigning Division IV state champions, extended their impressive win streak to 63 games with Friday’s win at Firestone Stadium in Akron.

Falcons catcher Averi Weis connects on a first-inning, two-run home run.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

But not before the Falcons pushed them to the limit in a back-and-forth showdown.

Field struck first in the top of the first on a blast off the bat of Averi Weis that cleared the left-field fence. The two-run homer, which scored Lilli Sutkowy after she reached base on a single and was sacrificed two second on a bunt by Gracie Hoskin, was ripped on a first-pitch fastball.

“I think I had only one other home run this year that I knew immediately off the bat that it was a home run, but this was the second one. I felt it,” Weis said. “It was such a surreal feeling. My first at-bat in my first state semifinal and the first pitch I see. It was low and inside and that’s been my pitch all year.”

Dyer said she felt it immediately showed that her team was ready to play.

“I think we showed right there that we were here to play ball and that we deserved to be here,” Dyer said. “We prepared hard all week for this, and I have been saying that this group is not afraid of anything.”

After being held scoreless in the first two innings, Kenton Ridge (31-0) plated three in the bottom of the third inning.

It started on a inside-the-park home run from Chloe Glass, who led off the third.

Field second baseman Gracie Hoskin tracks back into the shallow outfield to pull in a pop fly.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

Glass sent a 1-0 pitch high in the air to right field that fell just out of reach of the Falcons’ out field and bounced to the wall. The speedy Glass raced to third base easily, then initially held there, but then decided to race home when she realized that the cutoff throw went to second base instead of home to cut the Cougars’ deficit in half, 2-1.

After a flyout, Brenna Fyffe laced a single into left-center on a pitch that was far off the outside corner of the plate. The first pitch to Kenton Ridge’s next batter, Jayden Davis, was scorched over the centerfield fence.

With just three swings, Kenton Ridge had flipped the momentum and grabbed a 3-2 lead.

Field needed just a few moments to find its answer.

Addy Lay, the second batter in the top of the fourth inning and a lefty hitter, connected on a 1-1 pitch that she drove the opposite direction that carried over the left field wall for a home run that deadlocked the score back to 3-3.

Field’s scoring ended there.

Kenton Ridge was held scoreless in its half of the fourth inning, but scored the eventual game-winning run and tacked on another insurance run in the bottom of the fifth.

Fyffe, a slugger who entered Friday’s game with 23 home runs in 30 games and has committed to play at Ohio University, turned on a 2-0 pitch and drilled a no-doubt laser home run to left field.

The blast put Kenton Ridge up 4-3.

The Cougars then added another run on a double by Davis, who was moved to third on a sacrifice fly by Ivee Rastatter. Davis then scored on a two-out infield single down the third baseline that was kept in the infield nicely by a diving Bre Homan, but the Falcons’ standout had no play at home or first base by the time she got to her feet.

With momentum, Rastatter pitched near mistake-free in the sixth and seventh innings to stymie any rallying hopes for Field (22-4).

Kenton Ridge plays Licking Valley on Sunday at 11 a.m. at Firestone Stadium in the Division IV state championship. Licking Valley defeated Bryan 2-1 in Friday’s other state semifinal.

STATE SEMIFINAL NOTEBOOK

Statistics and notes from Friday’s Division IV state semifinal between the Field Falcons and Kenton Ridge Cougars.

Lilli Sutkowy reacts to Averi Weis’ first-inning home run. Sutkowy had started the inning with a single into left-center, then was sacrificed to second on a bunt from Gracie Hoskin.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

ADJUSTMENT TO ATTACK

In a scoreless bottom of the first inning, Kenton Ridge had four at-bats and all four had four or more pitches.

The rest of the game, only three (out of 25) batters saw four or more pitches.

In fact, 15 of those at-bats featured the Cougars’ hitter having a one- or two-pitch at-bat.

The Cougars’ approach at the plate was a calculated one.

“If you watch, our team does a great job of connecting between batters,” Kenton Ridge head coach Sarah Schalnat said. “They were telling each other that the pitcher was grooving that first pitch in there, so we wanted to be sure we were attacking at the plate.”

STRANDED FALCONS

In five of the first six innings, Field got its lead-off batter on base to start innings.

The first inning was included in that and it produced runs on Weis’ home run.

The other four times, though, the Falcons failed to rally against the strong pitching of the left-handed Rastatter and the sound defense behind her.

In total, the Field stranded six runners in those innings.

Field shortstop Allison Barto sends a throw to first base for a putout.
Shannon Eldreth/Special to Portage Sports

With the score tied 3-3, the Falcons started to top of the fifth inning with the top of their lineup. Sutkowy singled on a sharply hit grounder to second base that was difficult to handle. In an attempt to sacrifice bunt her to second base, Hoskin pushed a bunt perfectly placed between the charging third baseman and pitcher into a bit of a dead zone that took the shortstop too long to field, giving Hoskin an infield single and the Falcons runners on first and second with no outs.

Rastatter worked out of the jam and the two Falcons’ base-runners were stranded on second and third, respectively, after a sacrifice fly from Carly Eldreth had moved them over with two outs.

“We did have our opportunities and against a team as good as they are, you know that you are not going to get many opportunities,” Dyer said. “Credit to their pitcher, she did what she needed to do to get out of it.”

BERRY HIT BY PITCH

Field junior starting pitcher Adrianna Berry was struck in her left thigh by a strongly hit line drive  in the bottom of the fourth inning.

The ball bounced off her and ricocheted toward first base, but not with enough velocity for it to result in a play on the batter racing toward first base.

After a brief visit to the mound by Dyer and athletic trainer Emily McCowin, Berry took a warmup pitch and then action resumed.

Berry pitched the remainder of the game.

Falcons sophomore Bre Homan runs to first base after earning a walk.
Shannon Eldreth/Special to Portage Sports

PITCH COUNTS

Kenton Ridge — Ivee Rastatter, 105 pitches (69 strikes, 36 balls, 3 groundouts, 6 flyouts)

Field — Adrianna Berry, 83 pitches (57 strikes, 26 balls, 5 groundouts, 11 flyouts)

LINESCORE

FIELD 200-100-0—3-6-0

KENTON RIDGE 003-020-X—5-11-0

OFFENSIVE LEADERS

FIELD

   • Lilli Sutkowy, two singles, run

   • Gracie Hoskin, two singles

   • Averi Weis, home run, two RBI, run

   • Addy Lay, single, RBI, run

KENTON RIDGE

   • Brenna Fyffe, home run, double, single, RBI, two runs

   • Jayden “JJ” Davis, home run, double, two RBI, two runs

   • Chloe Glass, home run, single, RBI, run

   • Annie Fincham, two singles

   • Kendall Glass, single, RBI

   • Cara Common, single