Rest aids Knights’ ace Woodward Narraguagus rolls to 11-1 record, aims for berth in regional final

If Narraguagus softball coach Elliott Noyes was concerned about the durability of senior pitcher Ashley Woodward, her effort last week should assuage his fears.

Woodward pitched five games in five days and went 4-1. The loss came against Searsport, which has its own star pitcher in Taralee Webster.

All it took was some rest, ice and Advil. Woodward was back in the circle Monday, this time pitching a five-hitter and striking out 15 in an 8-3 win over rival Calais. Narraguagus is now 11-1 after a win Wednesday against Washington Academy of East Machias.

“Last week I was hurting a little bit, my hand was swollen and I was having some problems with my finger,” Woodward said. “It’s kind of like, should I pitch and risk hurting myself? But there’s really no one else to pitch. I try not to think about it too much because it will worry me right to death.”

Few softball pitchers have been as dominating this year as Woodward. She has 167 strikeouts (13.9 per game) while giving up just 14 walks and 24 hits over 74 innings.

She has also pitched four shutouts and a perfect game this year.

And along with her fastball, which Noyes estimates at 60-65 miles per hour, changeup, rise, drop and curve, Woodward’s been working on a screwball.

“Ashley can throw them all, with control,” Noyes said. “She’s highly motivated. There’s some good pitchers out there and she’s right up there. She’s got the speed and the control.”

Woodward also leads the Knights with a .561 batting average and 23 RBIs. Sophomore Erica Mann is hitting at a .500 clip with 13 RBIs and senior Amanda Barbee has a .480 average and 13 RBIs.

The Knights have been hoping for a berth in the Eastern Maine championship game and more this season. As consistently strong as Narraguagus has been over the years, the Knights have never won a regional championship.

The team will likely have a tough road ahead of it this spring: the Knights are in the Class C Southeastern Division along with Searsport (8-1 in the most recent Heal point standings), Dexter (7-3), George Stevens of Blue Hill (8-3), Central of Corinth (6-5) and Calais (5-2 after Monday’s loss).

Still, getting Noyes a berth in the state final has been a big motivator this year.

“This winter I worked really hard because Big E’s never made it to the state game and I want to take him there hopefully,” she said. “So this winter I worked extra hard. The team this year is great. Everyone works extra hard, puts in 110 percent in every game. It’s really nice.”

Woodward considered taking her game to Saint Joseph’s College in Standish next year, but decided on Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Pine Manor, an NCAA Division III school, does not offer athletic scholarships but Woodward received leadership and academic scholarships.

“They were the Great Northeast Athletic Conference champions last year and they came in second this year, so they’re pretty competitive,” she said. “I’m looking forward to going there and helping the team.”

Javelin standards reconsidered

Good news for boys who throw the javelin in outdoor track and field: 800-gram men’s javelins can be converted to meet National Federation of State High School Association standards.

The Maine Principals’ Association, which follows NFHS guidelines for most high school sports, released the specifications last week. The NFHS initially ruled the javelins could not be converted for high school use.

The legality of the javelin can be determined by locating the balancing point on the javelin grip cord where the point starts to drop. From this balance point to the tip of the metal head of the 800-gram javelins, any measurement longer than 413/4 inches is an illegal javelin. For the 600-gram javelins, any measurement longer than 36 and three-sixteenths of an inch is illegal. When using a rubber tip of the javelin, the balance point must be determined when the rubber tip is on the javelin.

Also, the Sandvik Javelin, the Nordic Viking High School Javelin, and the AMF Dick Held Javelin after being reconditioned were sanctioned by the NFHS.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.