Shannon Eldreth/Special to Portage Sports

By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

The Field softball team may be making their first trip to the state’s Final Four, but head coach Beth Dyer has been there before.

As a loving sister.

So has assistant coach Bob Bauer.

As a loving father and assistant.

In 2003, Dyer’s younger sister and Bauer’s youngest daughter, Lesa, was the starting pitcher for the Rootstown softball team that advanced to the state semifinal. The Rovers squared off against Sycamore Mohawk, which defeated the Rovers 5-0.

Field junior pitcher Adrianna Berry reacts after striking out a West Geauga batter during the Division IV regional championship game.
Shannon Eldreth/Special to Portage Sports

Dyer, who graduated from Rootstown in 1997, was 24 and still a college student.

“I still remember the atmosphere of that game,” Dyer said. “It was awesome and such a great experience. I remember being excited for my sister, obviously, but also for my small hometown community to have the opportunity to be there.”

So many of those same feelings are back for Dyer, whose Falcons have surged through the postseason tournament to earn a berth in the Division IV Final Four — fresh off a historic 15-5 victory over West Geauga for the school’s first-ever regional championship.

The triumph pushed the Falcons into Friday’s state semifinal against Kenton Ridge at 3 p.m. at Firestone Stadium in Akron.

“I think I have a lot more perspective on things now than I did back in 2003,” said Dyer, who also was a standout pitcher at Rootstown and helped the Rovers to three regional appearances, including once in the regional final. “I have a deeper appreciation for what this year’s team has accomplished. These types of seasons don’t just happen and they don’t happen often. It has been unbelievable.”

The Falcons’ season began back on March 24 with a 7-2 victory over a Mogadore team that also advanced to the regional final this season.

After the opener, like the majority of teams in Northeast Ohio, Field’s schedule turned sporadic with Mother Nature batting leadoff.

Field junior Gracie Hoskin reacts toward her team’s dugout after a double in the regional final.
Shannon Eldreth/Special to Portage Sports

In total, Field still managed a 23-game regular season and posted an impressive 20-3 record, with losses only to Cardinal Mooney (5-2), Manchester (8-2) and Twinsburg (4-3 in 11 innings). Along the way came another league championship — the program’s sixth in the last seven years. During that span, the Falcons have posted an astonishing 90-5 league record, including a 39-league-game road winning streak that dates back to the 2021 season. The last time the Falcons lost a league game on the road was at Norton on April 6, 2021 (6-4).

The history and numbers have been piling up, with the Falcons reaching the school’s first-ever regional final last week and advancing to the state semifinal for the first time in school history.

And while everyone knows that an important game exists in less than 72 hours, Dyer is readying her girls for a mixture of preparedness and competitiveness, but to in place of enjoying th emoment and memories they are currently living inside.

“Yes, there is a game to be played, and we are very excited and focused on that, but we want the team to understand that this has become about more than just a game,” Dyer said. “They have made an impact on the entire community. As a coaching staff, we want them to enjoy every moment.

“Even these day leading up to the game, for them to recognize and feel how their peers, teachers, the entire school and community, how they are all rallying around them. For the team to realize that they have created this moment that has brought everyone together district wide.”

About 185 miles from the district is where Field’s opponent is located. Kenton Ridge is located in Springfield in Clark County, which sits in West Central Ohio.

The Cougars are no strangers to advancing this far.

Kenton Ridge is the reigning state champions and enter Friday’s state semifinal with an unblemished 30-0 record this season and they are owners of a 62-game winning streak. The Cougars are making their ninth appearance at the state tournament.

Falcons senior Carly Eldreth heads toward home plate after belting a home run in the regional final.
Shannon Eldreth/Special to Portage Sports

Before defeating Hillsboro, 9-0, in 2025 for the state title, Kenton Ridge had reached the state-championship game four other times (1999, 2002, 2003 and 2013).

Falcons senior Lilli Sutkowy and head coach Beth Dyer embrace after winning the Division IV regional championship.
Shannon Eldreth/Special to Portage Sports

Kenton Ridge makes noise in its wins, too, with the team totaling 68 home runs as a team this season led by senior catcher Brenna Fyffe, who ranks 17th in the nation with 23 home runs in 30 games. Fyffe also has 59 RBI, 57 total hits, 63 runs scored and a .576 average.

JJ Davis, a junior, has 14 home runs, 48 RBI, 47 hits. 476 average and 51 runs. Sophomore Ivee Rastatter, the team’s starting pitcher with a 30-0 record, 272 strikeouts and 1.27 ERA, also has 13 home runs and 51 RBI and freshman Kendall Glass has 10 home runs, 37 RBI, 43 runs and 41 hits.

For the season, the Cougars average 12.8 runs per game, have 385 hits, 93 doubles and 29 triples.

Field’s statistical numbers also have merit.

With junior pitcher Adrianna Berry having a phenomenal season with 21 wins, 167 strikeouts and 1.76 ERA.

At the plate, Lilli Sutkowy (.508 average, 33 hits, 5 home runs, 24 RBI, 20 runs), Averi Weis (.441 average, 26 hits, 3 triples, 4 home runs, 30 RBI) and Gracie Hoskin (.441 average, 26 hits), among many others (Addy Lay, Sophia Roberts, Bre Homan, Allison Barto, Ryann Huddleston) all playing contributing roles, along with Carly Eldreth, who made a late-season return from a knee injury but has provided an additional bat with pop in the lineup, including a home run in the regional-final win over West Geauga.

“We are preparing our girls for this game, but we also want them to stay relaxed,” Dyer said. “We have a lot of respect for Kenton Ridge, they are the returning champions, so we just need to continue our strong defense and pitching — and our girls are hitting really well right now; they are going to the plate with confidence.”